


Emotional Room To Move

by sharadaskye



Series: S-Squared: Shane and Sharada [1]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: But I Am Going To Have Fun Having My Farmer Flirt With Everyone, Everyone From Stardew Valley Will Make An Appearance, M/M, Male Farmer Easily Gets Crushes On Every Male In Stardew Valley, Shane Is End Goal After All, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-02-05 08:31:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12790710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharadaskye/pseuds/sharadaskye
Summary: A brokenhearted, overworked, former customer service call center representative of Joja Corp leaves his job and moves to Pelican Town. There he meets an equally disheartened employee from Joja Corp, and manages to find his own slice of happiness.





	1. Cog

Hate. Every day he was filled with unrivaled hatred towards his current situation, knowing full well that there was nothing he could do to improve it.. A splintered group of friends, a terrible breakup resulting in an apartment that he could no longer afford, and to top it all off, a terrible, thankless job that barely earned him enough to scrape by. Instant noodles, rice, and tap water was all he was living off of these days, as rent ate up his paychecks each month. 

It was about 15 minutes until his last break for the day, and he was already ready to go home despite another 2 hours left to go. After another rough phone call with a frustrated customer, Sharada slammed his head against his desk, fighting the urge to scream and quit on the spot. Working for Joja customer service did not have benefits that made calls like this bearable; there weren’t any benefits to be had anyway. 

Feeling the judging eyes of his coworkers on the back of his head, he sighed and opened the drawer that held the few personal items he had. A couple of worn out stress balls, half a bag of chocolate covered raisins, and beneath the paperclips and used post-it notes, a cream colored envelope with a dark purple wax seal caught Sharada’s attention. It had been years since he received the envelope, and despite several months of working in this soul draining environment, today was the first time he truly considered opening it and figuring out how this could help. 

He couldn’t believe what he read, as the letter and associated deed was here for years, and he never knew that this was an option. While farming didn’t sound appealing, being a drastic difference than his current job, Sharada knew that anything would be better than this place. His grandfather went through the same thing he did - while not at the same job or living situation, as he refused to think of his grandfather dating anyone other than his grandmother - and the letter read as if Sharada wrote it today. A coughing sound echoed from the cubicle to his left, and he could tell the other people who dared to look his way were wondering what he was thinking not working. 

With the sound of another call coming in, he knew that enough was enough. Grabbing the letter, Sharada stood up, towering over the other cubicles, and walked into his manager’s office. Standing at 6’4”, Sharada seemed intimidating as he loomed in the doorway of the lazy manager, while he shook like a leaf at the possible confrontation. He opened his mouth and shut it twice before the manager looked at him expectantly. With a deep breath, he focused on the words he needed to say, repeating them over and over in his mind until he blurted them out. 

“I quit.” 

A wave of relief crashed over him, steeling his nerves and lightened the pressure on his chest. Sharada knew the manager heard him, but he needed to say it again, craving the feeling once more. 

“I quit!” 

With a bright grin, he turned and exited the stuffy office, not bothering to wait for a response or say goodbye to any of his co-workers. Nobody there ever knew his name anyway, despite correcting them multiple times. Running out of the lobby, Sharada jumped into the early afternoon sun, a feeling that he was not accustomed to. 

Popping his headphones in, Sharada began the long walk home, planning on what items to pack and bring to Stardew Valley. He planned on ending the lease of his apartment tonight, knowing that the landlord would be pissed, but since he couldn’t take the furniture, he hoped that would lessen the impact. Knowing full well he wouldn’t get any security deposit back, Sharada figured it was going to be worth it by leaving the city for good. While he was walking home, he sent a quick text to the few remaining friends he spoke with, and informed them of his plans, immediately turning off his phone notifications afterwards. There was a chance that they could convince him to stay, despite the fact he was now jobless, and eventually going to be homeless. 

When he returned to his apartment, Sharada gathered his essentials onto his bed: laptop, chargers, clothing, shoes, and emergency piggy bank, as he had his phone and wallet in his pockets. Shoving everything except the laptop into his duffel bag, Sharada grabbed the water damaged phone book and found a couple numbers listed for residents in Pelican Town. Dialing the number on his cellphone, he buzzed with excitement as the line rang. 

“Hi Mayor Lewis? My name is Sharada and I’m the grandchild of Harold Arazo.”


	2. Seeds

Sitting in the cramped bus seat, he stretched his legs into the aisle for the umpteenth time and watched the countryside pass from the dingy window. Thankfully his stop was only half an hour away, but he knew that the time would pass before he knew it. Listening to his music helped distract him from the queasy feeling in his stomach; Sharada was never good with long car rides, and busses were even worse. He skipped breakfast and lunch just in case he got too sick and felt like throwing up, there would be less to expel. 

“Now arriving in Pelican Town. Please remain in your seat until the bus has come to a complete stop.” 

He praised Yoba, knowing that this was essentially a one way trip, as there was no chance he would ever return to the city again. As the bus slowed to a crawl, Sharada stretched in his seat, his arms nearly touching the top of the bus without too much effort. Once the bus completely stopped, the doors opened and the fresh air immediately lifted his spirits after the 4 hour ride. 

“Not too many people get off here with a one way ticket. I hope you find what you're looking for.” The kind bus driver said, standing up to shake his hand. She was a bright ray of sunshine, a huge, sincere smile on her face, and laugh lines that only reflected her positive disposition. 

“I hope so too. Have a great day and a safe drive!” Sharada hopped off the bus, maneuvering his duffel bag on his shoulder as he shimmied off the bus. Taking a couple steps away from the bus, he heard the door shut and the engine rev a couple times before slowly pulling away from the impromptu stop that lead into a lush green field. 

Setting his stuff down for a minute, Sharada twisted back and forth, stretching his back and legs from the cramped positions he held while on the bus. He thought he heard someone call for him, but he couldn’t hear anything over the music coming through his headphone. Looking around, he caught sight of a redheaded woman walking towards him waving her arms through the air trying to catch his attention. Pulling the headphones out of his ears, he shoved them down the front of his collar, letting the cord drape from the collar to the end of his cord plugged into his phone. 

“Sharada! Over here!” She called from the dirt trail that was halfway down the road, at the end of a rustic wooden fence that ran along the sidewalk of the road, separating the fields from the concrete and asphalt. Picking up his bags, he briskly walked over to her. 

She waited for him, an equally cheerful expression on her face as he approached. He gave her a once over and guessed she could be in her early to mid 40s. Her red hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, with several locks framing her face that had fallen out over the day.

“Nice to meet you! My name is Robin, and Mayor Lewis sent me to show you to the farm. He’s waiting there for you to arrive!” If her attitude was any indication of how the citizens of this town would be, Sharada knew that he would be able to relax here and make some friends. He nodded eagerly, walking beside her, a step behind as he was tired from the trip and carrying his bags all day. They made small talk easily, about the weather, the local entertainment, and what the city was like. It took them about half an hour to make it down the path that lead to the farm. 

“If you were to make the trip backwards, if you continue straight and don’t turn towards the bus stop, you’d reach the town in about 45 minutes.” She paused, catching the sight of the busted fence and sign already, and took a deep breath, “Not to scare you off already, but it hasn’t been touched since your…. Well, since Harold’s passing. If you need any upgrades to the house, let me know, and we can determine what it would cost!” 

“Robin! Already trying to get the man to purchase an upgrade already? He just got here, give him some time to settle and unpack!” A voice called out from the weather worn porch that was attached to an equally dilapidated home. This is what Lewis warned him of and that Robin tried to warn him about on the trip. 

“Well, at least it’s something I can call my own for once.” Sharada deadpanned, staring at the overgrown field of weeds, trees, saplings, boulders, and what appeared to be the destroyed remnants of a greenhouse. 

He noticed the box of seeds that the Mayor held in his hands, a crude bow taped to the top as what he assumed was a welcome present. Sharada tried to smile over the amount of work that he would have to do to get the farm cleared out, but he just felt like screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter that I already wrote. The third one is gonna be posted today as well.


	3. Work

Robin and Lewis graciously left him to his own devices for the rest of the day, the mayor promising that the townspeople of Pelican Town would give him some space until he made it to town. There was quite a clamor over his arrival that had all of them a titter over “the majestic new farmer” or “the city boy” depending on who you asked. Sharada entered the home, immediately coughing at the musty, stale air of the small cabin-like room. 

Placing his duffel bag and backpack onto the bed, deciding on unpacking later in the evening when it wasn’t so hot in the room. Sharada walked over to the window over the table, forcefully opening it to let in some of the nice spring breeze. He took stock of the room, noticing how sparse the furniture in it was: a table with a clay jug, a broken chair, a TV covered in dust and an ashy fireplace all lined the back wall across from the front door. On the wall to the right of the door, there was a lamp and bed, and on the left side there was a large wooden box that had a metal latch on it. 

Moving over to open the box, Sharada found a set of worn farming tools, everything he would need to begin his life as a farmer, left by his grandfather. He wondered what would’ve happened to this place if he never opened the letter, would it have been consumed by the wilderness that was right outside his front door. Grabbing the scythe and axe, Sharada shrugged off his jacket, throwing it onto the bed, and stepped outside. 

Each swing of the scythe got easier, but he didn’t feel comfortable using it yet, as after each area of grass that was cut, the tool fell out of his hands or went flying across the field. After an hour or so, Sharada had cleared the area right outside his home of grass, giving him some space to gather all the cut grass into a pile. Thankfully there weren’t many trees growing close to his home, just a few fallen branches to chop into firewood. It was late afternoon by the time he had finished gathering the last bundle of grass, as the sun was already low in the sky, threatening to sink below the mountain range in the distance. 

His stomach growled from the lack of food from earlier throughout the day and the exhausting work he had just completed. Thankfully he didn’t have any blisters yet, but his hands and muscles ached from the manual labor, but then again, all he did was cut a small patch of grass away from his house and chop a couple branches. Sharada didn’t have any food, as he threw most of it out or gave it to his neighbor to use, as he had no means of cooking it anyway. 

“Glad Mayor Lewis let me know that I wasn’t going to have a kitchen here.” He laughed to himself, wondering what he was going to do for food. Deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to walk into town, Sharada entered his home, put the tools away in the box, and then grabbed his wallet, phone and headphones from his bag, and locked the front door. Passing by the mailbox next to his home, the tall man barely noticed the stump of what used to be the flag raised. Opening it, he pulled out the letter that was solely addressed to him. 

Opening it, he read the script on the yellowed paper, another letter from his grandfather, he read it quickly. 

_‘ Sharada,_

_If you are reading this then you grew tired of the day to day life of the city, the kind of life that leaves you cold and empty. I am so glad that you are here, and wish that I could see what a fine young man you turned into, but life has other plans. If you learn to communicate and grow relationships with others, I am sure that you will live a successful and happy life here!_

_Good luck, and I will always watch over you._

_Love,  
Grandpa ‘ _

Wiping a tear from his eye, Sharada placed the letter back into the envelope and pocketed it before putting in his headphones and began walking towards the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one for today. I am getting sick, and with the holidays, I don't know when the next update will be. Thanks for reading, Shane probably won't be introduced until the next chapter and even then, it's going to be brief.


	4. Bars

The walk into town was a lot longer than he expected, by the time he made it at the edge of Pelican Town, the sun had fallen beneath the mountains, casting darkness over the valley. Sharada was thankful for the few streetlights that dotted the main area of the town, illuminating the cobble roads that marked the commonly used pathways, as he walked around, trying to find if there was a place to grab food. He walked towards the main square, and saw the bright lights spilling out of the brick building, circling around the back of the building, Sharada looked for an entrance. When he came across the door, he felt like cheering that there was a place to eat within the town. 

As he opened the door to the saloon, Sharada was welcomed by the smells of pasta, beer, and smoke, the sounds of friendly chatter and laughter filled the space. The minute he entered the building, his stomach growled and the farmer made a beeline straight for the bar, easily sitting on the barstool. 

“Welcome to the Stardrop Saloon! What can I get started for ya?” The man spoke with a deeply soothing voice - it was rough, low, and dripping with an accent that Sharada recognized, but couldn’t place exactly - and it made him melt into the barstool, leaning against the counter. He could tell that the bar owner was out of shape, as the round face, and slight gut that peeked out from the bottom of the blue sweater were clear signs. Sharada found himself lost, staring at the man before him, entranced by the sound of his voice. When he heard a snicker coming from the blue haired woman also behind the bar, he snapped out of his food craved stupor and answered the lingering question.

“Sorry. I just moved here and it’s been a long day. I haven’t eaten anything all day, so anything sounds good right now.” He started rambling, words tripping over sentences as he tried explaining himself, feeling his face heat up over realizing that he openly stared at the man for an uncomfortably long time. Sharada’s rambling was cut off by a deep, hearty laughter, and it only caused him more embarrassment. “Sorry...again. I’m exhausted, hungry, and unable to express myself appropriately in public.”

“No worries Farmer! I’ve got you covered! One house special coming up!” The man before him paused, gave a look at the blue haired woman, and waved her off to fetch the meal, “Names’ Gus! Since it’s your first day, it’s on the house! I hope you enjoy your time here, and you’re welcome back anytime.” 

Before he could even think of a response or even offer his own name, Sharada heard a woman’s voice call out from the other end of the bar, catching both his and Gus’ attention. 

“How come he gets a free meal because he’s new? He hasn’t been here for a week yet!” The voice came from a woman with blonde hair, pushed back away from her face and had very loose curls. Her face was red, as it was clear she had been drinking for a while, the empty steins around her confirmed his initial observations. 

“That’s Pam, don’t worry about her. She’s harmless, just loud.” Gus explained, giving a wink to the other man before walking over to the woman - Pam, he noted - and gathered the glasses into a plastic bin that was right under her spot at the bar. It was a sign that this was a regular occurrence. 

Now that he was alone, he could feel the eyes of the other townspeople on the back of his head, and at this moment, he was too hungry to make small talk with everyone in the bar. Thankfully, the blue haired woman returned with a plate of lasagna, garlic bread, and a glass of pale yellow wine. Sharada assumed it was wine, as beer or mead wasn’t typically served in a wine glass. 

“It’s homemade white wine, made by your grandfather even! It’s nice to meet you farmer, my name is Emily and everyone’s still staring at you.” Her smile could brighten up the night outside, as she was happiness personified. Emily stood there smiling for a beat before turning her attention over to the people who kept occasionally staring at the man sitting before her. 

“It happens, I am new here after all.” Sharada paused, eating a bite of the hot lasagna, and moaning loudly over how good it tasted. Looking around, it seemed that Emily didn’t hear him or care enough to react. He did spot a man lurking at the other corner of the bar, sitting between the bar and the brick fireplace. 

“What’s his name?” He asked, not really expecting a response from Emily. Continuing to eat the lasagna and garlic bread, he washed it down with a sip of wine, and wondered how his grandfather made wine on that farm. 

“Him?” She nudged in the direction of the man that Sharada inquired about. With a nod, he let her continue. “That’s Shane. He’s really nice, lives with his aunt Marnie and little Jas south of your farm. I’d go over and say hi if you want to talk to him.” 

Seeing as he was nearly finished with his meal and wine, Sharada thought it wouldn’t hurt to introduce himself to at least one townsperson tonight. It even helped that they lived close - if he could ever clear out his farm to make it to the southern side that is - and he wanted to make one friend tonight. 

“Hi, my name is Sharada. What’s yours?” He asked knowing full well what the other man’s name was, but that he wanted to have a proper introduction at least. When he was given the silent treatment, he just stood there not sure what he should say next or even do. Did the man not hear him? Was he deaf and Emily was playing a mean prank on the both of them? Worry and panic began surging through his body, and when he opened his mouth to apologize the man finally responded. 

“I don’t know you.” 

“Well, yeah, I did just move here recently. I hear we might live close by, I just wanted to say hello and intro-” 

“Go away.” Shane cut the farmer off, taking a long drink of his beer to drive home the point that he wasn’t going to continue the conversation. 

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later then!” Sharada quickly turned around and left the other man alone, like he clearly wanted. He found Gus, shaking the man’s hand, he profusely thanked him for giving him a free meal and drink tonight, and then left the bar. He could’ve sworn he heard a woman sigh as he left the bar, but he assumed it was his imagination. Shane seemed like he was going through some shit, and he respected that he wanted to be alone. It felt like the bar was much higher for Shane in terms of making friends than it did with the other towns people. 

Checking the time as he stood outside in the crisp spring air, Sharada figured he would be home around midnight if he walked at a normal pace. So far, he wasn’t sure what to make of Pelican Town, as some of the people seemed awfully nice or downright rude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a couple tags, basically, Sharada is a thirsty man that a mere glass of wine can't quench. He isn't going to be romantically involved with the people he finds attractive/flirts with, as he is intensely curious about the man who snubbed him within minutes of opening his mouth. I want to focus more on characters that get overlooked Gus/Linus/Willy/Wizard/Gunther as I find them fascinating. There are mods to date them, and I have not played them (besides watching some scenes from Willy/Wizard), so I am flying blind with their interactions. 
> 
> I know for sure that there will be some OOC-ness about these characters, but I will do my best to keep them in character. I am hoping to do 1-2 chapters for each character (perhaps more) while continuing the relationship between Shane and the farmer. I can't keep track of days/events, so I will be vague about 'weeks happened' or 'spring was coming to an end' etc to signify the passage of time, as writing 112 days passing in each separate chapter would be overkill. 
> 
> Anyway, let me know your thoughts if you have any. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated <3


	5. Shopping

Within his first week living on the farm, Sharada had already grown and harvested a small field of parsnips, which was more than he ever grew back in the city, so he was quite pleased with himself. Storing them into the wooden bin that the mayor indicated would be where he could place the crops he wanted to sell, he decided to call it early and visit the town during the day for once. He needed to talk to people, as listening to music while he hoed the fields didn’t make for developing good social skills.

Grabbing his empty duffel bag, Sharada figured on visiting the general store to buy more seeds and perhaps some cooking supplies. His grandfather left him some money behind - hidden underneath the mattress with another small note - and he figured it would be worth it to buy some food and items to cook with. Together he had about a grand to play with at the general store, knowing that he basically had the items he came with and nothing more, Sharada hoped that seeds weren’t too expensive. 

Walking through town during the day was a whole lot easier to get an idea of where things were located. He spotted the saloon, and what he hadn’t noticed was the row of buildings he passed were the local clinic and general store. Off in the distance, he could see the familiar blue of the Joja Corporation, and he made a silent vow to never purchase a single item from their shop. With a deep breath, Sharada opened the door to the general store, and smiled at the bell that rang as a result. 

“Welcome to Pierre’s General Store! You must be the new farmer we’ve been expecting! Sure took you a long time to make it here!” The man - Sharada assumed it was Pierre, from which the shop was named after - greeted him from behind the counter. 

“It’s been a lot of work clearing out the fields back at the farm. I normally don’t get done until after you’ve closed, but with the recent harvest, I ran out of seeds and thought I could buy some more.”

“Well you’ve come to the right place! Do you have an idea of what you would like to grow?” As the other man walked around the counter, Sharada shook his head, knowing nothing about what would grow in what season or what he should even plant. “Where are my manners? My name is Pierre, and this as you can tell is my shop. I don’t believe I caught your name.” 

“Oh, right! It’s Sharada.” He said, holding out his hand to shake Pierre’s. The other man returned the handshake with much more vigor than he expected. Apparently most people are always overjoyed Sharada realized, with the few occasional outliers. 

“Nice to meet you Sharada! So besides the lack of seeds, what else brought you in today?” 

After what seemed like an endless amount of questions and running around through various aisles, Pierre had gathered most of everything that Sharada needed for basic living. An electric range, a stock pot, a spatula, ladle, plate, bowl, mug, and silverware set for one person, Sharada was finally ready to inquire about what seeds were good for early spring. Pierre perked right back up about the question, providing tips on what crops grew best next to each other, how to build a scarecrow to keep the birds away, and how to put in a trellis without shattering it. 

-

“Alright, so everything comes out to an even 950 G, and since it’s such a large amount of items, I’ll get my daughter to help you haul it home.” Pierre smiled, standing behind the counter with the old fashioned register displaying the paper numbers to indicate the cost. 

“That’s not necessary, but I do appreciate it! I can get all this taken back to my farm without too much trouble.” He had to politely decline the offer, as he remembered what it felt like having his own mother volunteer him to do tasks for other people without his knowledge. Grabbing his duffel bag, Sharada pulled out the overstuffed wallet, and removed the bills from it, handing them over to Pierre to count out and give him his change back. 

“If you say so! One of these days, you should stop by for dinner! My wife and daughter couldn’t stop talking about the new farmer and wanting to meet him.” 

“I’ll take you up on that! But before I can wine and dine amongst actual people, do you know where the local bathhouse is?” Sharada started gathering up his items, putting the heaviest into the largest part of the duffel bag first, and packed the seeds into the side pocket so they wouldn’t get tossed around with the bigger items. 

“It’s actually up near the train tracks, north of the store and Robin’s house.” Pierre paused, holding out the 50 G in change for the farmer to take, a look of contemplation on his face. “You know, I am not sure if it’s been cleared out yet. We had a landslide last winter, thankfully nobody was hurt, but the path to the bathhouse was blocked.” 

“Well, worth a shot. I’ll go see if I can make it up there after I drop this back at the farm.” He pocketed the money, and hauled the duffel bag strap over his shoulder. “Thank you again for your help! I’m sure I’ll be back soon with more questions or more seeds to buy!” Sharada walked towards the exit, throwing a quick wave over his shoulder as he left the store. The sun was starting to make it’s way towards the mountains yet again, but this time Sharada knew he had a couple hours before it would get dark. Putting his headphones back in, he put on the same playlist he listened to while farming, as this walk would be much harder now that he was carrying everything. 

He waved at a woman wearing a pink cardigan, holding her son in a striped t-shirt from tearing off into the muddy field as he passed them on his way home to the farm. He only met a handful of the townspeople from what it seemed, and he wondered if he would ever get to meet them all. 

As he walked back up the same path, Sharada noticed that there was a purple hue on the trees in the forest south of his farm. He knew that’s where Shane lived with Marnie and Jas - people whose name’s he knew but had yet to meet - but he couldn’t help but wonder what could cause such a color. Shaking his head, he walked a bit faster on the dirt trail, as the bag seemed to be getting heavier, and a shower, while unlikely, seemed like a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna say much. I like the idea that Pierre sells more than what he offers you in game, as having 5 shelving units of the same items wouldn't make sense from a marketing perspective. Probably not gonna include Morris in this for a while, as I have plans for him. Assume some nameless peon is running Joja Mart for now :D
> 
> Any suggestions or comments are always welcome!


	6. Linus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding there's a homeless man living in a tent is just another typical day in Pelican Town for the new farmer.

After he opened the door to the modest farmhouse, Sharada turned on a light and quickly unpacked everything onto the table that sat under the window. He decided that everything could be organized later, as he wanted to check and see if the path to the bathhouse was still blocked off. He grabbed a change of clothes, a ratty towel and washcloth, and shoved them into the now empty duffel bag. 

He left his wallet behind as he remembered that the bathhouse didn’t charge for entry, and left the house once again, this time, heading north. Sharada was getting better on knowing what direction he was headed in, as he learned that his front door faced south towards the forest, and the trail to the east ran straight into town. Still using geographical landmarks to tell what direction he was headed made sense as the forest to the south or mountains to the west weren’t changing anytime soon. 

Pulling out his phone, he switched songs and checked the time, figuring it would take about half an hour to walk up the hill behind his farm. When he did reach the summit, it was half past 8pm, meaning he would have about two hours to figure out if reaching the bathhouse was possible. He looked around, and found the sign that used to mark the stairs that led up to the train station, the path was indeed covered in loose rubble, mud, and branches. There would be no way to traverse up this mess without getting severely injured. 

“Who’s out there?!” A voice called out from the tent next to the small campfire burning a couple yards away. Sharada tried to wave and announce his presence, but he figured it was too dark to see him. 

“My name is Sharada, I am the new farmer in town.” Taking a couple steps closer to the campfire, he realized there was a person standing at the entrance of the tent. 

With wild gray hair, and an equally gray beard, the man stood there wearing a what he assumed was a mix between a toga and Tarzan costume. It looked like the top half was made of leaves, but the bottom half was made of scraps of fabrics. As Sharada approached, the man visibly cowered, obviously expecting some kind of assault. 

“It’s okay! I mean you no harm. I am new here and the home I live in doesn’t have a bathroom, so I was hoping to use the bathhouse to bathe in.” Sitting down on the log across from the tent entrance, he hoped that he could convince the other man to sit down as well. 

“I don’t trust people, why are you sitting here and talking to me?” The man remained where he was, obviously shaking from fear. 

“Because I mean you no harm. I didn’t mean to disturb you this evening, as I was just hoping to have a shower and relax in the bathhouse.” Sharada explained, tossing a small branch onto the campfire to keep it burning. “If you want me to leave I will, I can’t get past the debris anyway, so I wouldn’t be able to shower tonight.” 

The other man just stood there, staring at the farmer, trying to determine if any threat was present in the newcomer’s intent. With a deep breath, the man took a step forward, coming into the light of the campfire. 

“Linus. And if you promise to leave my tent alone, I’ll show you how to get to the bathhouse. It’s been destroyed before, and I don’t want to have to rebuild it tonight, as there’s going to be a storm tomorrow.” Sharada perked up and nodded furiously, not wanting to cause any harm to Linus, as he seemed to be dealing with enough on his own. 

“Of course! I would never do such a thing!” He promised, unable to contain his excitement over being able to take a shower and relax in the hot spring water. Following Linus closely, Sharada bumped into him as they traveled in the darkness, apologizing every time they collided, hoping that the other man could tell that he was doing it accidentally. 

Within a couple minutes, Linus had led them to a steep hill with obvious man made steps carved into the dense earth. It was clear that this was how he navigated the mountain, as there signs that this particular path got a lot of use. Linus pushed Sharada up first, choosing to follow behind in case the new person lost their footing. It didn’t happen, but Sharada did slip at the top and stumbled forward, expecting another step that wasn’t there in the darkness of the mountain causing Linus to lunge forward trying to catch the other man should he fall backwards.. 

“Careful!” 

“Thank you. Here, I have a light hold on.” Sharada pulled out his phone, and turned on the flashlight feature to provide a source of light. He turned around, holding out his hand to help Linus up from the ground. “On no. You’ve gotten mud all over your legs, we must be close to the bathhouse. You can get cleaned up there.” 

“It’s quite alright, I do live in that tent you know. A little dirt doesn’t bug me.” 

“I insist, let me repay your favor by at least leading the way with the flashlight I have.” Sharada grabbed Linus’ wrist, gently leading the homeless man towards the distant light of the bathhouse. 

\- 

Once the pair had entered the male portion of the bathhouse, Sharada stripped immediately and entered the steamy showers. Linus stood at the door, not really moving to undress or to leave the place. The farmer noticed the other man’s absence and returned to see what is going on here. He wandered over to the entrance of the men’s locker room, holding a towel around his waist. 

“Why did you bring me here? Why are you so nice to me?” He could hear the fear and shakiness in Linus’ voice, and it hurt him to the very core of his heart. 

“You’re not undeserving of happiness Linus, and you’re not alone here. We just met, but you’ve been hesitant as that is reasonable given what information you’ve shared, but you’re not an alien or creature to be feared. You’re human, just like me.” Sharada paused figuring that he should ask the other man the same questions, “You didn’t have to help me, to bring me here. So why did you go out of your way to help a stranger?” 

“You didn’t seem like you were going to cause me any trouble, and that you were new to town meant you probably haven’t heard of me. I’m overly cautious with people, because they haven’t given me a reason to trust them yet.” Linus answered, realizing that he had no reason to be so reserved with this man, as in their past interactions only showed that the farmer meant no harm. 

“Fine. I don’t trust you completely, but I guess I can relax a little bit.” 

“That’s all I ask for. I’ll meet you in the bath.” Sharada smiled, turned around, and walked back towards the showers, removing the towel before he turned out of the locker room. He grabbed his phone off the pile clothing right outside the bath entrance. Linus started scrambling to undress and catch up to the other man. He quickly showered, making sure that his hair was thoroughly cleaned, as he didn’t want leaves or dirt to get into the clean spring waters. 

When Linus finally emerged from the showering area, Sharada whistled at the other man, causing him to blush a deep crimson. The gray haired man entered the bath, settling in a couple feet away from Sharada, relaxing into the hot water. 

“It feels great! I needed this after a week of hard, sweaty work on the farm. I should clear that path after the storm is over, I would love to come here after a hard day of work.” Sharada said mainly to himself, just enjoying the way his muscles relaxed, warm water splashing around his neck and shoulders. “You’re more than welcome to join me anytime I come here Linus, I know I’d enjoy getting to know you better.” 

“Well…. We’ll see what happens in the future.” Linus grumbled, his face growing a deeper shade of red that couldn’t have been caused by the hot water. 

“I’ll hold you on your word then! Feel free to visit me at the farm whenever you like, I’m sure I’ll have a basket of homegrown crops for you!” Sharada sighed, further relaxing into the hot spring waters, wishing he had something like this at home. “I am glad I ran into you Linus, you seem like you’ll be a great friend when we get to know each other better!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I wrote Linus okay, he's my third favorite character in the game because of all the shit he goes through (pranks, scavenging for food, hiding in the bathhouse to keep warm, etc) as he just needs a warm hug and a good meal. Anyway, let me know if you liked this chapter!


	7. Digging

Over the next couple of days after he was able to bathe with Linus, Sharada started noticing odd depressions in the ground surrounded by worms and other insects. Feeling curious, he decided to spend a day digging them up with his hoe, and much to his surprise, there were fossils and preserved artifacts deep within the earth. He really didn’t know what to do with them, so he neatly and carefully organized them in the chest next to his bed. 

He spent his early mornings following the same routine, something he was slowly getting used to and while there would be no circumstances under which he would admit it, Sharada started enjoying waking up before the sun rose. Each morning started off in bed, where he would turn on the TV as his alarm clock went off, letting the sounds of the news report keep him awake. He remained in bed until the weather report was over, and then promptly at 6am, he would groan and get up. It wasn’t that he wanted to stay in bed, but that he didn’t want to leave the warm comfort to the cool spring mornings.

Once he changed into his working clothes - a pair of torn, ripped jeans and a thin t-shirt - Sharada stepped onto his porch and shifted through his tools, deciding on what he would do later in the day and what he might need to bring if he ventured into town. A typical morning - one that didn’t bring with it a spring shower or unexpected storm - had Sharada watering his crops and then clearing out more of the debris. Despite being there for only half a season, he had cleared more space than he knew what to do with, so he started planting trees. Robin showed him how to create a tapper, and while he didn’t know where to acquire the copper bars, he figured once the trees were fully grown he could find a source of the ore.

After clearing out his field for a couple hours, the farmer would venture into town and chat with the locals who were out and about. By his counts, he had met a majority of the townspeople, but there were some names he didn’t recognize, and Marnie mentioned something about the tower across the lake. He hadn’t ventured into the forest much, as the fear of failure kept him focused on his farm and the profits that didn’t come rolling in.Most afternoons were spent aimlessly wandering around, picking up random berries or vegetables scattered here and there. 

There was a subtle change in the weather as time passed, the afternoons started getting hotter, and Sharada knew that summer must be right around the corner. While he wasn’t earning what he used to back home, he made enough from selling parsnips and green beans that he could be prepared for when the new crops would need to be planted. It was a Tuesday when he heard of the local festival they would be holding on Friday, the egg hunt. Sharada didn’t know what to expect for a small town in terms of festivals and events, but he was pleasantly surprised. Sitting at the bar, he listened to Emily, the assistant to the barkeep, proudly declare these would be the best eggs she ever decorated. 

“I didn’t realize you would be hiding real eggs for the egg hunt, that’s amazing! And you paint them all by hand?” He was astonished that they didn’t use plastic eggs for the children to find, but with such a small community, hiding a couple dozen eggs would be reasonable. 

“You bet I do! Shane helps out some days, but now that they’re almost done, I can finish getting them ready on my own.” Emily beamed at the praise, watching Shane visibly react to having his name mentioned. She leaned in close to Sharada and whispered, “Don’t mind him. He’s been such a sourpuss lately and even Marnie’s having a hard time reaching through to him.” 

Nodding, as if that made a difference in his lack of understanding for the other man, Sharada thanked Emily for spending time with him, and proceeded to badger the grumpy man again. He never thought it was badgering, but the look on Shane’s face whenever he so much as opened his mouth or got near him said otherwise. 

“Again?” 

“What, no hello? You’re going to blow me off before I even get started with my ‘Hi Shane, how are you doing today?’” While he knew that Shane didn’t like his presence, something about the man kept him wanting to break through the shell. 

“I’d rather skip to the part where I tell you to buzz off.” Shane grumped, drinking his beer while staring right through Sharada. 

“But that’s skipping the best parts, like how I talk to you and you do your impression of a brick wall - and it’s quite the impressive display if I say so.” He wanted to laugh when the other man rolled his eyes, obviously accustomed to their usual bickering. “Fine Shane, I will leave you alone… for now!” Sharada added before wandering out of the bar. 

It was still early enough that he wanted to explore a bit more of the mountains behind Robin’s house before relaxing in the bath house. He spent a day after the storm ended clearing the path from the dirt and rubble that blocked the pathway. Guessing that Linus would probably be sitting in front of his fire, part of him wanted to talk to the homeless man, he didn’t want to seem overbearing. After their night in the bath house, Sharada wanted to let Linus come to him next, as he really wanted to gain the other man’s trust without essentially stalking him. 

Walking past the carpenter’s house, the farmer came to a wooden bridge that was down the steep hill from Linus’ tent as he could see the faint smoke trail from the ashes of the campfire. There wasn’t anything on the other side of the bridge, so he continued walking towards the house that stood nestled among the tall trees around it. There were so many people he must never had met, as nobody he talked to mentioned living this far outside of town. 

Leaning over, Sharada noticed there was a sign on the door that read ‘Adventurer’s Guild’ and below it ‘Members Only’. He had no idea what being a member for an adventurer’s guild would encompass, so he turned to return to the trail that lead up to the baths. There was a cave opening that he must’ve missed on his way to the house, so he figured it would be best to return during the day and see what was inside the cave, as he was grossly unprepared to go spelunking at this hour. He would remind himself to return to the cave tomorrow when he had time to prepare a couple items. 

\-------

Waking up earlier than normal, Sharada forgoed his routine and started preparing the things he would need to venture into the cave. A generous supply of unlit torches, his grandfather’s well loved pickaxe, an axe in case he needed to defend himself, and his empty duffel bag. Thankfully it was raining this morning, so he could head out without needing to water his fields. He hoped that it wasn’t a lighting storm, as he was afraid of getting struck since he was carrying a lot of steel and metal around. 

He stood at the cave’s mouth, debating on going inside and seeing what waited for him in the darkness. When the rain started coming down harder, Sharada decided to enter the cave just to get out of the rain. He watched the sheets of rain come down everywhere, soaking the earth as puddles formed here and there. 

“Don’t get too many visitors to the mines, what brings the likes of you out here?” A gruff low voice called out from behind him, he nearly dropped everything as he jumped from the surprise. Sharada’s eyes focused on a gray haired man standing next to a ladder that disappeared into the ground. 

“I’m thinking of exploring this cave system, there’s gotta be some good ore down there, and I need ingots desperately.” He explained, holding the pickax a little higher, showing that he came prepared. 

“There’s monsters down in those caves, you’re insane to enter without a sword.” The gray haired man said, eyeing the other tools that poked out of the duffle bag. “Here take this.” 

Sharada took the proffered sword without complaint, and his days as a scout reminded him to thank the man. “It’s such a well used sword, but I have no idea how to even hold one, let alone swing.” 

“Well, I’m not going to sleep well if I send you down there without knowing how to defend yourself. Put that bag down and get over to that wide open area.” The man said, not sure how good of a teacher he would be with his bad leg and lack of depth perception. “Listen, don’t stand too close, I don’t want to kill ya. Also, I don’t know you from town, what’s your name kid?” 

“Sharada, I just moved here not too long ago. I don’t believe we had the pleasure of meeting either, how should I address you sir?” Instead of offering his hand for a handshake, Sharada opted to take a step back, close enough that he could watch but not get mauled by the blade. 

“Marlon. I run the guild next door.” He held the stance, not waiting for Sharada to follow along, but ran through the basic motions of how to attack by swinging the word and blocking. When it came to Sharada’s turn, it was clear that he wasn’t picking it up. 

“No, no, no! You’re thinking too much about it, you just gotta swing!” Marlon’s criticism didn’t really help much, but Sharada figured it out after too long. It took a couple rounds of correcting his thought process by literally smacking him on the back of his head until he stopped overthinking his every move, Marlon was pleased with his progress. Once the guild master was fairly certain the only threat Sharada faced was the actual monsters and not dropping the sword on his foot, he left. 

Sharada made it down to the first floor of the mine, placing his first torch near the base of the ladder in case he needed a quick escape. He walked to the middle of the small room and looked around at the mounds of ore shining through the rocks. Dropping his bag in the middle, he put a torch next to it, and began working on getting the ore loose from the boulders. 

\------

Five hours later Sharada was on the fourth floor, his bag heavy with rocks, ore, and a couple of geodes that he didn’t know what to do with. He was currently looking for a way down to the next floor as he picked the current one clean. Covered in dust and rock particles, he knew that once he dropped his bag at home, he would spend several hours in the bath house. 

“There you are you sonuva!” He exclaimed as he approached the ladder that would take him down to the next floor. While it hadn’t crossed his mind yet, he wondered how he would be leaving this place. He really didn’t want to look for the ladders backup to the surface, and his back was killing him from trying to break open every boulder he found. 

He took the last step off the ladder and found himself in a room that sounded like it had water dripping everywhere. It was brighter than the last room he was in, but the source of the light was the giant glowing number 5 above the doorway and a green button just to the left of the door. This must be used by the miners to get up and down quickly, so Sharada trugged over to the door and pressed the button firmly. 

Within minutes Sharada was standing in a rickety mine shaft elevator, ascending up towards what he assumed was the cave entrance. And he was pleased to find himself standing in the same area where he met Marlon. More importantly, he could walk home and then relax in the baths. 

\------

It took him a while to return home carrying that duffle bag which only got heavier in the spring rain. He dropped it unceremoniously in the middle of his living room, and gathered a change of clothes and his bath accessories and shoved them into a plastic trash bag before he left his house again. 

The sky was a lot darker on his trip to the bath house, as he assumed the sun was setting or had set already. He wasn’t too far from his destination, and now that he cleared the path up, it was a much faster route than the one Linus showed him. When he entered the locker room, he shoved his items into the locker he had claimed as his own, as there were plenty of empty ones to choose from. He stripped out of his dusty, damp clothing and left them neatly draped over the empty locker doors so they could dry a little bit. 

He wanted to run straight into the bath, but with how filthy he was, Sharada knew it would be a bad idea. So he took his time in the shower, washing the sweat, dirt, and pebbles from his hair, and watching the clear water turn a dingy black as it swirled down the drain. Once he was finally clean enough to enter the bath, he turned the faucet off and wrung his loose hair out, water splashing as it fell from his hands. 

Relaxing into the bath water, he floated gently, letting himself be surrounded by the sounds of the waterfall and the warmth of the water. He almost didn’t hear another person entering the bath until they politely coughed to announce their presence. With a bright grin, Sharada beamed at Linus, who was sitting closer tonight than he ever had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm exhausted, I hope this is okay!


	8. Improvements?

Sunlight was drifting in through the narrow strips between the blinds, catching Sharada right in his eyes. He rolled over, covering his head with his pillow, groaning with each adjustment he made. Every chirp of the birds outside just reminded him that the seasons were changing. Summer was on its way here, and he loathed the heat that it would be bringing along with it. 

Rolling out of bed, Sharada could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead, a sure sign that this summer was going to be exceptionally warm. Spring was almost over, and they were celebrating by hosting a Flower Dance. These kind of celebrations filled him with anxiety, as the word ‘dance’ made him want to say home. The tall man had no coordination to speak of when it came to dancing in any situation, he even skipped out of his high school’s proms and dances, just so nobody would ask him to bust a move. If he tried, he would end up busting somebody’s nose. 

Realizing that it would be noticeable if he did not show up to the event, as being the new resident of Pelican Town, his presence was sought after at every opportunity. Evelyn at least kept her questions to a couple each day, often relaying stories of Alex when he was a child visiting for the holidays. If the jock was around, he would mutter under his breath, not wishing to upset his grandmother, but desperately wanting her to stop. Sharada related to the other man, as his mother would go on and on about him to complete strangers for hours. 

He eventually got out of bed, not bothering to watch the news this morning as he needed to visit the blacksmith before the festivities began. There was a bag of ore that Sharada hoped to turn into something useable for the farm. Secretly hoping that he could upgrade his hoe, as it felt like it would fall apart if it went another week without repair. Hauling the bag and hoe into town proved a bit easier than hauling it home as there were fewer hills to traverse. 

Once he entered town, Sharada had a vague idea where he was going, but as he only visited the general store and saloon, there were plenty of buildings to choose from. While wandering down the main pathway in town, he scanned the houses in the immediate area, when he caught sight of a thin trail of black smoke, he decided to venture and see what was causing it. Even though the bag wasn’t too heavy, he was starting to sweat profusely in the warm spring air. 

Sharada stood in front of a small gray building, figuring this must be the place. He could hear the roaring fire in the metal box off to the right of the home, and the black smoke was emanating from the smoke stack on top of the box. Leaning his hoe against the paneling of the house, he reached out for the door handle. He slowly opened the door, peering into the room hoping he wasn’t over stepping by entering. 

“Either come in or get out, but make up your mind faster.” A voice called out from the room, which he heard over the sounds of metal striking metal.

Sharada rushed inside, closing the door behind him and immediately regretted coming here today. It was hotter inside this small space than it was outside, and he wondered how anyone could live in this heat. 

“Hi!” He called, adjusting the duffle bag of ore on his shoulder. “Are you the blacksmith?” 

“Yes! Just a minute and I’ll be right there.” It seemed that the voice was calling from the room in the back, and the sounds of metal clinking stopped. A man appeared around the corner, dressed in a grey sweater and thick, slightly burnt apron. 

“Ah, you must be the farmer.” The man said, rubbing his soot covered hand against his apron before holding it out for a handshake. “Emily would not stop talking about your arrival, and since you’ve arrived it’s gotten worse.”

“That I am! Name’s Sharada.” He paused, wondering how much Emily talked about him, but still returned the handshake, “I hope she’s been saying good things about me.” 

“Nah, she’s just excited over having a new person in town, not many people around here.” 

He followed the man over to a metal table, and hauled the duffle bag onto it, opening every zipper to reveal a different kind of rock and ore cluster. Watching as the other man sorted through the bag, Sharada realized his organizational system was completely incorrect, as he would grab from different pockets and put them in the same piles. 

“Well, you certainly did a lot of work in the mines. Why are you digging all this up anyway?” The blacksmith asked, still looking over each pile. 

“I was hoping I - well, that you could - fix up one of my tools and help me craft a sprinkler. If that’s not enough, I can get more, but it would take a couple days.” 

The blacksmith laughed, a deep, roaring laugh that drowned out the noise of the fires and the machines. Sharada flinched not expecting that kind of laughter to come from this man. 

“Clint.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“You gave me your name, so I am giving you mine, seeing as you’ve given me weeks worths of work the morning before a festival.” Clint chuckled, slapping the farmer on his back, throwing him off balance. 

“Right, Clint, your name. It’s nice to meet you.” Another bruise for sure, at least this one was on his back and not easily visible. 

“How soon did you want the tool done? Which one did you want repaired?” Clint asked, grabbing a couple of the brown ore rocks, and setting them aside from the rest of the pile. 

“My hoe, it’s practically falling apart whenever I use it. I’m afraid of breaking it entirely. It’s right outside if you think you can fix it.” Sharada answered, feeling overjoyed that Clint was willing to give him a hand with his tool. “And as long as it’s ready before the summer, I don’t care when it gets done!” 

He already planted everything he had for the Spring, and with how hot it was this morning, he knew that the new season would stifle all his current crops. So once everything that was harvested in the next couple days, he could till the fields using his repaired hoe. The mere thought filled him with glee, as it would be a huge help on getting work done on the field. 

“That I can do. I assume you want me to make a couple sprinklers out of what’s left?” Clint looked over the giant pile of ore, mentally calculating that he could easily make at least 3 sprinklers from what the farmer brought him. “Fine. I can do it for you. Did you want to have me break open those two geodes you brought over before you go?” 

“Geodes? Those huge, heavy oval rocks?” 

“You city folk must not get out much. There could be unique minerals inside them, it’s 25 per geode.” 

“Sure! Why not? Crack them open!” Sharada watched with rapt awe as the blacksmith grabbed one of the rocks as if it was the lightest thing in the world, and placed it onto the anvil. Reaching over to the side of the anvil, he wielded a hammer, bringing it down onto the rock and cracking it open easily. 

Apparently there were opals and malachite inside the geodes, but Clint didn’t say what they were used for. When the blacksmith started organizing the ore into new piles, Sharada examined the two stones he received. He had no idea what to do with these stunning gems, but he figured that it would make a nice decoration on his shelves. 

“Alright. So for everything, it’s going to cost 5,000 G and everything will be ready by next Friday if you wanted to stop by and pick it up.” Clint stated bluntly after the piles were sorted, apparently the other man also brought in the hoe while Sharada stared at the stones he was holding. “Payment up front. I will make sure the hoe gets completed first, and I will make the sprinklers after.” 

Sharada nodded dumbly, fishing around his pockets for his wallet. Once he found it, he pulled out the money, handing it over to the blacksmith. Figuring that it would be easy to take his bag home now, he decided to return home and change before joining everyone at the festival. 

“I got a favor to ask you.” 

“Sure?” He snapped out of the heat filled daze he was finding himself in, as sweat dripped from his hair. 

“Ask Shane to dance with you at the Flower Dance.” Clint looked away from Sharada, his face turning a slight pink which the farmer assumed was due to the heat. 

“Why? He barely talks to me. You saw how he treated me when I tried giving him his birthday gift, and that was because I bought him free beer and pizza. He normally ignores me or tells me to shove off.” 

\--------

_Sharada checked the calendar outside of Pierre’s General Store, and dropped his phone, his headphones ripped out of his ears as the entire device clattered around on the cobblestone road._

_“Today is Shane’s birthday.” He whispered to himself, realizing that he completely forgot about the date. Without missing a beat, Sharada leaned over, picked up his phone and hatched a plan to give Shane a great birthday gift._

_When he entered the saloon, the sounds of Gus organizing the empty glasses filled the silence of the room. As he explained his situation, the barkeep laughed, commenting on the youth and their problems. Gus only said one word, and Sharada knew that this would be a great birthday present._

_Since it would be several hours before Shane would arrive at the bar, Sharada offered to help Gus in return for his assistance in this plan. The floor still needed to be swept and mopped, and the tables bussed and restocked with napkins. Time seemed to fly by as he went about sweeping, mopping, and getting the tables together._

_“Hi Sharada! Trying to take my job are you?” Emily joked as she walked into the saloon, a bit surprised to see the farmer here._

_He laughed it off, explaining his plan to the blue haired woman, who just shrieked and eagerly agreed to help. She slapped Gus for making him clean the bar, but enjoyed seeing more of the farmer out and about in town. Her biggest fear would be that he never left the farm besides going to buy seeds, and here he was, being an active - yet often busy - member of the community._

_After a while, the usual smattering of people filtered into the bar, and Sharada waited for Shane to appear, knowing the other man would be getting off work and stop in for a couple drinks. Right on cue, Shane walked in, ignoring everyone else, and settled onto his barstool between the bar and the fireplace. Taking a deep breath, the farmer signaled to Gus and two fresh beers were placed in front of him. Grabbing both mugs, he walked over to Shane and hoped this went well._

_“Happy Birthday Shane! A little piece of paper told me it was your birthday today.” Holding out one of the beers, he watched Shane’s face shift between a smile and his resting stony expression. Placing the other beer on the counter in front of Shane,_

_“I’m impressed you even got me something for my birthday. You might be the only one who checks that calendar besides the Mayor.” Shane gladly accepted the free beer, taking a big drink from the ice cold beverage._

_“Well, I wanted to give you something special. Beer’s on my tab today and Gus will be bringing out a plate of pepper poppers soon.”_

_Since he moved here, Shane wanted the farmer to stay, but the other man was gone before he could even ask. Apparently telling people to get lost eventually made them not hang around, so Shane figured he could be a bit nicer to the farmer._

\--------

“I do remember, I was there and I saw you flee after delivering the beers. Just ask him to dance okay? The worst he could say is no right?” 

Sharada sighed, saying that he would at least ask the other man to dance, but there were no promises on actually dancing. As he left the blacksmith’s house, he couldn’t help but wonder why Clint wanted him to dance with Shane. It’s a dance, so there would be music and it’s not like they would be paired off or anything. With his empty duffle bag, Sharada walked over to the forest, following the buntings towards the secluded field where the festivities had already begun. 

He walked over to the punch bowls and platters of deviled eggs, grabbing one of the eggs, he popped it into his mouth, and served himself some of the punch. The farmer downed the tiny cup of punch, and wandered over to Shane. 

“Don’t kill me for this,” Sharada said, “Would you like to dance?” Fully expecting Shane to laugh in his face, he wished the silence would be broken, and when it finally was, it was the answer he expected. 

“No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooh. Things are going so great between Shane and Sharada :P


	9. Heat Wave

While the first week of summer went by without any issues on the farm, Sharada got his hoe back and began waking up even earlier in the morning. He wanted to get all the work done on the crops before the sun rose over the mountains, as the heat sapped his energy when he stayed out in the fields for too long. He spent his days fixing up the community center, repairing the floors, peeling off the faded, ripped wallpaper and dusting the cobwebs from every corner. 

Sharada couldn’t let this place be torn down by Joja, he would gladly ignore his farm and go into bankruptcy before he would let that happen. After getting the building restored, he figured it would be okay to leave it for a couple days and enjoy some of the summer activities the town offered. The entire town has its own private beach, and summer was the best time to enjoy it. Every once in a while, after he had harvested all the crops for that day, Sharada would take a dip in the cool ocean water. The ocean breeze helped him clear his head, as he often wondered if he was fighting a losing battle. 

Profits were not what he expected. There wasn’t much in the way of overhead, but the fact that most of his earnings were spent on buying more seeds and food caused him to worry about how he would survive in the winter. There was the remnants of what appeared to be a greenhouse, but if he could buy a coop or barn, then he could sell the animal products during winter. There was also the issue of space, Sharada had cleared out a large area for his crops, but the barn needed more space than he had created. 

On the Sunday of the second week of summer, he got up at 2am, quickly watched the weather report, and grabbed his bag and set out for the day. The farmer marked a large section of his field using rags he salvaged from his old, worn out clothes. He was going to clear this space before the sun rose so he could beg Robin to build a barn. The trees were easy enough to clear, a couple swings of his ax felled most of the young trees, the older ones requiring a bit more before they too gave way. The boulders were harder to deal with, as his pickaxe started to feel weak. He figured that the ore he was saving up in the wooden boxes would be enough to repair it. Today was going to be a busy day for him. 

He heard the birds chirping, signaling the sun would soon be rising as well, which only spurred him to work faster. There were only a couple more bushes he needed to clear out, but he was looking like he would be able to get a lot done today. When the last bush was thrown out of the area he cleared, Sharada realized the sun was starting to peek over the mountains. Grabbing his bag, the sweat drenched man rushed back home to grab the supplies he would need. 

Robin and Clint were surprised to see him so early, but after explaining what he had been doing, he received sympathetic looks from them. Robin urged him not to overwork himself, and Clint just grumbled about staying hydrated despite working during the night. Sharada just gave them a small smile, assuring each of them that he would be fine. The spring had gotten him accustomed to hard labor after all, and it was cooler to get the work done in the early morning hours. 

When he returned home, Sharada was surprised to find the flag of the mailbox raised. He rarely got letters on Sunday, as even the Mayor took the whole ‘day of rest’ thing literally. Adjusting his now empty bag over his shoulder, he opened the mailbox and found a scroll. The paper felt old, as it was yellowed and ripped around the edges. He gently unrolled the paper and read what the missive was about. 

Apparently he was invited to the mysterious tower by none other than the Wizard himself. It couldn’t hurt to at least visit and say hello, after all, this was unusual from what he heard from the other villagers. Nobody had ever been inside the tower, despite Abigail’s attempts to see the mysterious resident through windows. He turned on the sprinklers as the last thing he wanted would be to have his crops die due to overheating. The ground could get dried out if left unattended during the sweltering summer heat, so he often turned on the sprinklers for a couple hours in the late afternoons. It wouldn’t hurt if it was hours before he normally turned them on, it would do the plants good to get a good soak. 

As he stood before the tower, he felt small compared to the great height of the spire, taking a moment to catch his breath as walking through the forest was stifling. He wiped his forehead on his shirt, wiping his hands on his shorts before knocking on the large wooden door. It surprisingly opened faster than he was expecting, bringing the farmer face to face with the Wizard. 

“Well, I surely didn’t foresee that you would visit this soon, otherwise I would’ve prepared something to drink.” Standing there in long, dark robes and a hat that seemed to match the fabric, the Wizard waved the man inside. Sharada felt a cool breeze from inside the tower, and he eagerly followed the purple haired man further in. 

“I didn’t have any other plans for the day, so I figured it would be okay. You already know my name, but it’s still a pleasure to meet you.” 

“Ah, yes. I do tend to ruin introductions. The stars informed me of your arrival months before you even showed up. As you have heard, I am the Wizard. It’s nice to have company.” The other man ushered the farmer to sit on the couch in the middle of what seemed to be a laboratory. Various bottles and beakers sat on the tables, some of which were being heated while others looked like they had frozen over completely. 

“Thank you.” Sharada said as he sat down on the rather plush couch, “If you don’t mind me asking, do you have air conditioning here? How is it this comfortable despite the heat wave we’ve been having?” 

“Magic. Although, I do suppose that answer would cause more questions than it would answer. Those questions would be best for another time, so for today, just leave it as magic.” The Wizard said, choosing his words carefully. He had known the farmer would have many questions, but today he had a goal in mind and the questions would only delay things. 

“Fair enough. I’ll be happy to save my questions for another time. What made you want to see me today though? Surely you have something specific you’d like to discuss?” 

“Straight to the point, I like that. You’re different than the others, as you feel the connection to the forest. It’s a weak connection since you just arrived from the city, but it’s getting stronger. The Junimos have noticed your efforts in the community center and they wish to help out.” The Wizard summoned what appeared to be a opaque blue apple out of nowhere, before it disappeared in a plume of smoke. 

“They look similar to that, but alas I have not been able to make contact with them, despite years studying their language. This is where you come in, here drink this.” The Wizard handed Sharada a vial of bright green liquid, not bothering to explain what it was. Deciding that if the other man meant harm, he would’ve done it already, Sharada drank the liquid and heard the music of the forest outside. It was quiet and peaceful, but it was surrounding him like a blanket. 

“What…” he paused, blocking his ears, “What is that music?”

Joyous laughter emerged from the Wizard, apparently this was a good thing by the other man’s reaction. Sharada took a couple deep breaths, trying to tune out the music and after several minutes, he was able to focus on the sounds within the tower. It was still there, the music of the forest wasn’t gone, but it was easier to tune it out, like white noise. 

“You heard the forest? Marvellous!” The Wizard started taking copious notes, asking questions one right after the other, barely giving the farmer time to answer or think of a response. 

“Care to explain?” 

“Ah yes. I do apologize about going off into those questions. The Junimos need someone like you to help them bring back the community center to its former glory.” He paused, bringing back the illusion of the apple, but this time it had wiry arms and a lopsided face. “These mystical beings are the human’s connection to the forest, but they are fearful of the corporation that wants the building so they hide. It seems your efforts on restoring the building made them take notice of you.” 

Sharada listened to the Wizard’s explanations continue. The forest, the Junimos and the community center, it was all tied to the citizens of Pelican Town and their lost connection to the world. Some, like Robin and Linus, had never lost the connection, as they remain close to the forest around them; others, like the Mayor and Pierre, while they had good intentions, they remain too focused on Joja rather than the forest and community. Should the community center fall into the corporate hands of Joja, the Junimos would be unable to do anything with their weakened magic. 

“So, will you help them?” 

The question hung in the air, Sharada knew he wouldn’t let the building fall into the hands of Joja, but he was already strapped for time and cash. He took a deep breath and resolved himself as he gave his answer. 

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies about the delay in getting this chapter updated. The holidays and work ate up a lot of my time.


	10. Setbacks

After spending a solid week clearing out the space on his farm, Sharada gathered his meager savings and took a walk to visit Robin. It had been a while since he last visited her, so he hoped to catch up on the local town gossip. Since he spent most of his time clearing his field, tending the crops, and shoving ore and other precious materials into Clint’s possession to keep the quality of sprinklers improving, the farmer had little time for idle chit chat. He honestly enjoyed how slow the days seemed to pass for the other residents of Pelican Town, as each day seemed like any other for them. Each day brought different challenges for the novice farmer, but he continually worked hard to ensure his plants survived. 

While he tried visiting Shane at the bar as often as he could, Sharada began seeing the other man there less and less. It occured to him that Shane might be avoiding the bar to avoid him. Everyone else in town welcomed him with open arms, accepting him as a part of the community as if he’d been there for years. Shane, on the other hand, never spoke to anyone besides Jas and Marnie, and often treated the farmer like he was an annoyance to him. 

“I just don’t understand it. Out of everyone in this town, why did I have to fall for the only one who actively dislikes everyone?” Sharada was sitting on a rather plush sofa, watching the Wizard calmly mix various liquids and reagents together. Apparently being one inclined to the magical arts was eerily similar to chemistry, Sharada wondered if he would be any good at it. 

“If I could only find out how the heart worked, I might be able to alter the one you desire.” While the comment seemed innocent, Sharada couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of having someone else alter your emotions like that. “That was a joke. Such practices are frowned upon, mainly due to the subjects going mad after similar procedures.”

The Wizard spoke with such a calmness while he mixed and measured different substances it unsettled the farmer. This man exuded an air of mystery about him that Sharada wondered if he’d ever be able to get to understand him fully. Their nightly conversations were a decent place to start, and he found himself enjoying the other man’s company. It had been a long time since he’d had anyone else to hang out with like this, it was a nice change of pace for the farmer. 

“I’d rather live with these feelings, because without them I doubt I would be myself anymore.” Sharada stood up, slowly walked over to the Wizard and the table he was working on, and just watched the other man work. “You know, part of me wishes I had met you earlier. I enjoy spending time with you like this.” 

The Wizard continued to work, but the slight nod that he offered was more than the farmer was expecting. Pausing for a moment, he pulled out a chair, a silent offer to have Sharada sit down. Once he was seated, Sharada asked a dozen questions about what each thing was and why he was mixing them together. They spent the next hour side by side, as the Wizard answered every one of Sharada’s questions in turn. When the clock chimed to indicate what time it was, the farmer thanked the Wizard, who continued to work, before he left the tower to head home. 

As he walked back through the forest, he saw a lantern on the end of the pier with the silhouette of a person with their legs dangling over the edge. He realized who was on the pier once he got closer to the lake, and Sharada was surprised to see Shane for the first time in days. Deciding that he’d try to hold a conversation with the other man, he walked towards the pier, and sat down next to Shane. 

He’s certain that if there was more light than what the lantern was providing, that Shane would’ve seen the shock on his face when the gruff man started talking. The only reason Sharada snapped out of it was Shane was offering him a beer. With a quiet ‘thank you,’ Sharada popped open the tab and downed the beer in one long drink. 

“Man after my own heart.” 

Sharada choked on air at hearing those words from Shane’s mouth, and he wanted to kiss the other man right here. He’d probably ruin any chance of a relationship with the other man, and blaming it on the beer would be a pitiful excuse. While he was coughing, Sharada just shook his head when Shane expressed concern. Once he was able to control his coughing, Shane continued waxing philosophically about his life. With every word Sharada’s heart broke more, as he just wanted to let the other man know that he’s not alone, and can get out with the help of others. He knew the words would fall on deaf ears, so Sharada kept his mouth shut. 

“You better keep your head on straight. We don’t need you turning out like me. Feel free to have another beer before you go, if you want, I’ll be here for a little bit longer. There’s a storm coming tonight, so I’ll get in before it arrives.”

Sharada reached out and put his hand on Shane’s shoulder, trying to quietly let the other man know that he’s not as alone as he thinks he is. While he wasn’t sure if the message got across, Sharada stood up and turned away from the edge of the pier. 

“Let’s do this again Shane.” After a second where Shane didn’t reply, Sharada left the man on the pier, and walked home. He could feel the energy charged in the air, and the farmer knew this storm would be pretty bad. After making sure his tools and supplies were brought inside, Sharada shut and locked the front door and the windows. The wind was already howling outside, and he knew that it would only get worse from here. 

\----

The sound of rain pelting the roof and windows woke Sharada up in the middle of the night. Thankfully, the roof seemed to be in decent shape, as there were no leaks that he needed to take care of. As the wind shook the modest house, Sharada knew that he wouldn’t be doing much with the fields today. He decided to clean the house when he eventually woke back up from his sleep. Curling underneath the warm blankets, the farmer fell back asleep quickly. 

\----

Despite the way the storm sounded last night and throughout the day, it calmed down in the afternoon. He stood on his front porch, quickly surveying the damage that his land had suffered. While his crops were mostly okay, there were a couple plants that got buried under a fallen branch. Sharada’s main concern was the land he cleared for the farm buildings. 

A young tree had fallen over, uprooting a massive amount of dirt, but nothing that he couldn’t clear in a couple hours. Returning to grab his axe, Sharada began clearing the tree branch and fallen tree, adding more wood to the piles he already had going. Even with the cool breeze, Sharada found himself dripping with sweat as the late summer sun beat down on him. 

Checking his phone for the time, he realized that Robin would be closing up her shop in half an hour. He grabbed the last bit of wood and his axe and put them away. Once he was back at his house, Sharada gathered his bag of, walking towards the trail behind his farm that led up into the mountain side. As he navigated the path, Sharada carefully stepped over more fallen branches and the occasional mudslide debris. Taking his time to get up the mountain, he was happy to see that the lights were still on inside Robin’s house. 

He knocked on the door as he gently opened it, peering inside. Since this was a small town, the business owners set their own schedules, and he was never sure of their availability. Robin was not behind the counter, but he could hear the conversation flowing from just around the corner. 

“Hello! I hope I am not interrupting anything.” Standing in the entryway, he removed his mud covered shoes before padding into Robin’s house. 

“I’ll be right there!” Robin’s voice called out from further inside. Whenever he had to enter someone else’s house, he always felt uncomfortable. Nobody locked their doors, which felt so bizarre as he lived in the city for years. Not locking your door there would be a surefire way of getting robbed. 

“Ah, I wasn’t expecting you Sharada. What can I help you with?” With a warm smile, the red haired woman motioned for him to join her at the counter where she ran her shop. He had no designs, or even any idea how this would work, but he hoped that this would make sense. 

“Well, I was hoping to go over what it would cost to build a coop and a barn.” Sharada sat down at the bar stool that Robin offered him. “I’ve been collecting wood and stone as I wasn’t sure what you would need. I even cleared out a large section of my farm to have you build them.” 

“Sounds good to me. It’s gonna take me a couple days to build each, but tomorrow we can go survey the farm and you can point out where you wanted each located.” She paused, “Now, let’s get to the part everyone enjoys. I’m sure you’re asking yourself what this will cost.” 

Sharada nodded, clearly nervous if his meager savings would be enough to cover the entire cost. He pulled his wallet out of his bag, and fidgeted with it in his hands, waiting for Robin to drop the number on him.

“For both buildings, it would come out to a total of 10,000G. This is only including the labor, since you mentioned you have enough supplies already.” Robin wanted to gauge the farmer’s reaction to the price, but his face remained unreadable. “Sharada, are you okay?” 

“That’s certainly doable! I’d like to pay in full now.” Sharada grabbed the money out of his wallet and set it down on the countertop. It was less than what he expected, but he had no point of reference on how much a barn or coop would cost to build. 

“Well alright then! I’ll get started tomorrow - weather permitting - but I’d expect them to both be done within 2 weeks time.” Standing up, Robin held out her hand for the farmer to shake. Once Sharada stood up, he gladly accepted the offered hand before him, shaking it with a giant smile on his face. 

“I’ll stop by around 10 or so to go over the land you want the buildings on. Have a good night Sharada, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

After Sharada put his shoes back on, he walked up the trail behind Robin’s house to the bathhouse. He’d spend the next hour relaxing in the hot water and return home. Despite the light damage the storm did to his farm, the next season was looking to be very busy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowing down a bit. Life is getting busier and lately I feel like writing other ideas. This might be updated once a month, but I'll keep y'all informed.


	11. Examination

Several weeks had gone by since Robin finished building the coops, and the summer sun never ceased to beat down on the small town, which only made Sharada exhausted. He had grown tired of waking up early in the mornings to tend to the farm to beat the unbearable heat that permeated the afternoons. According to the early morning news, the first day of fall was just a week away, which meant the warm weather would be cooling down considerably. Doubting that a week would make much of a difference in the triple digit temperatures, Sharada silently hoped that he would be proven wrong. 

While he harvested the blueberries and corn, Sharada wondered if Marnie and Jas would like some of the tart berries. Normally, Sharada would turn all of the blueberries into jam, but this time he set two baskets full of berries aside, and proceeded to dump the rest of the baskets into his house so he can work on cooking them into jam later. He looked longingly at the empty coop and barn that were built across the field of crops. Animals were expensive, and after spending a pretty penny on both dwellings, he didn’t have the spare cash to purchase animals. 

As the sun climbed higher into the sky, Sharada decided to take a break and deliver the berries to Marnie. While he headed south, he picked some of the wild blue jazz flowers that were growing in the untended areas of his farm. Shane, while still gruff and unapproachable to the other citizens of the town, actually welcomed the farmer’s presence at the saloon and even while he was on his way to work. Emily’s high pitched shrill when she opened up her curtains to see Shane smiling - even if it was just a small smirk - with the farmer woke up Hayley and practically the entire town. Word spread quick that day. 

Now he was standing at Marnie’s front door, hesitant if he should walk in without knocking. Technically it was a business, but it was also their home. Just as he was about to open the door, it suddenly flung wide open, revealing a frazzled looking Marnie. Before he could even ask what was wrong, she grabbed him and pulled him inside. The baskets of blueberries were forgotten at the door, small blue orbs rolling into the dirt as they spilled out of their container. 

“He’s not opening his door. I don’t know what to do at this point. Please talk to him while I get Harvey.” Marnie was speaking a mile a minute, not letting Sharada get a word in to ask what was going on. She pointed at the door and ran out of the house, leaving him alone wondering what he got himself into today. 

He approached the door, and listened if he could hear any sounds coming from inside the room. When he didn’t hear anything, Sharada tried the doorknob, which refused to turn. While he wasn’t surprised over this development, it would be an issue if Harvey arrived and they were unable to enter. 

“Shane? Can you hear me? It’s just me, can you unlock the door and let me in?” 

After a minute of no response, Sharada tried the handle again and found that it was unlocked. He slowly opened the door, the stench of stale beer greeted him as he walked inside. The room was dark, save for the small amount of natural light coming in from the open door. A grumble of annoyance came from the bed, and Sharada quickly but quietly shut the door behind him. 

“Shane, I know you’re hungover. But will you let me get you some water?” A noise of agreement came from the tangled mess of blankets, so he made his exit and reentry into Shane’s bedroom as fast as possible. Sharada got onto his knees, and gently touched the mound of bedding. 

“It’s just me. I don’t know where you are Shane. Can you sit up?” Another noise came from the bed, and Sharada was surprised to find that the mound of blankets were just blankets. Shane was on top of the covers on the far side of the bed, curled up into the wall. 

“Why are you here?” Shane’s usual rough voice seemed even worse, as each syllable was slurred. 

“I was here to give Marnie and Jas some blueberries. Marnie strong armed me into this, not that I mind.” Honestly, he didn’t mind at all. Sharada could tell that Shane was clearly dealing with some heavy issues, but a small part of him was happy knowing that nobody else, not even Marnie, could get into his room like this. 

“Everyone gives up on me. Why haven’t you?” Shane paused for a moment, as his head and the room were spinning. Without missing a beat, Sharada grabbed the small trash can and handed it to the drunk man. Moving up to sit next to Shane, Sharada rubbed small circles against the man’s back and whispered soothing phrases. 

Marnie returned at that moment with Harvey, who inspected Shane in between his vomiting and drinking water. Their conversation stopped while Harvey made sure that Shane would be fine. After advising him to get some bedrest and drink water, not booze, Harvey asked Sharada to meet him outside his clinic later that night. When everything calmed down, Marnie gently berated Shane before asking him a question that Sharada wasn’t prepared to hear the answer for. 

“Honestly Shane, you can’t keep doing this. Even if it’s your day off, you drink way too much, look at what happened this time! If Sharada didn’t show up when he did, you might’ve been in more serious trouble. What do you plan on doing with your life?” 

“I’m not going to be around long enough to need plans. So why bother making any?” 

The silence that came after his answer was broken by the small sob of Jas, who stood in the open doorway. Loud sobs followed her as she turned and ran away from Shane’s room, which caused Marnie to silently curse and follow her. 

“I’m sorry….I’m so fuckin’ sorry.” With a sigh, Shane sat down on his bed, and quietly started crying. 

Sharada joined Shane on the bed, and pulled him into a tight hug as the sobs wracked his body. Today wasn’t the best day to talk to Shane about the dark comment he made, so he just let the other man cry into his shirt. They stayed sitting like that for hours, Sharada would rub gentle circles against Shane’s back, and Shane would hiccup every now and then with his face pressed into Sharada’s chest. Eventually Shane fell asleep, so the farmer gently maneuvered him into a lying position, threw a light sheet over him and quietly left the room. With no sign of Marnie in the kitchen, however, he did notice that the baskets of berries made it inside at some point, Sharada left the house and entered the warm evening air. 

He didn’t feel like trying to work in this heat, so Sharada walked into town and decided to see if the doctor had some time for him. Even from across the main square, the farmer could see that the clinic was closed, but the lights remained on in the building. Walking up to the door, Sharada peered into the glass and saw that Harvey was working on what looked to be a model of some kind. Deciding to open the door himself this time, he walked into the clinic and immediately welcomed the relief the air conditioned lobby provided. 

“Sharada! You’re a bit later than I expected, but I guess that’s what I should expect given the situation. How is he?” Harvey began putting the plastic pieces down and left them on the countertop. 

“He’s asleep. Things kinda got worse after you left.” Realizing that his statement would probably cause Harvey to panic over Shane’s state, Sharada quickly added, “It was just emotional stuff. He’s fine and drank a lot of water before I left.” 

“That’s at least one good thing that came out of today. I couldn’t tell you how worried I was about him after I left.” 

The farmer nodded, as he could imagine how stressful it would be having to care for an entire town by himself. Sure he had an assistant in Maru, but she wasn’t able to do more than tend the front reception and clean the exam rooms after they were used. Harvey did let her do some small extra tasks, but nothing that would get his medical license revoked. 

“What did you want to see me for? I’m sure Marnie could’ve given you an update if you wanted one.” Sharada wasn’t upset about visiting the doctor, as Harvey did have a unique charm to him. He just wanted to get to bed as early as he could for the next day’s worth of work, as he would need to do more as today was unusual. 

“Ah, yes! I was going through my records when I noticed that I don’t have your medical records. Did you have a medical care provider in the city? I wanted to get their info so I can request that they transfer your file.” With a wide grin, Harvey handed Sharada a packet of forms, the first page was a request to transfer with the clinic’s information filled in. 

“That’s all? I can do that for you Harvey. I thought you wanted to discuss what happened earlier today.” 

“That’s just the first objective I had in mind. I also wanted to give you a physical, seeing as you’re new to farming and the town.” Harvey stood up and walked around to the door that led into the back of the clinic where the exam rooms were. “It’ll just be a quick examination. You can drop off the forms once you’ve filled them out.” 

Sharada placed the paperwork next to the model airplane that Harvey was working on, and proceeded to follow him into one of the exam rooms. The doctor had Sharada go through several routine physical measurements before telling him to sit down on the examination table. 

“Okay, I need you to remove your shirt and pants for the next part.” 

“Geez Doctor, you sure move fast. At least take a guy out to dinner before getting a full home run.” He chuckled at his own joke, but when Harvey looked at him quizzically, Sharada felt his face turn red hot out of embarrassment. 

“Home run? I don’t have that on the chart. Why would I have you run?” Harvey noted the latest result on the chart, and watched as Sharada removed his shirt and tugged off his pants. The next tests were basic range of motion exercises, which Harvey commented on. 

“I see that you favor your right shoulder, I’d watch that when working in the field. We wouldn’t want you to injure yourself. Now, bend over and touch your toes, keep your leg straight.” 

“Sir, yes sir!” Sharada smirked at his dumb jokes, but the fact Harvey did not seem to be acknowledging them had to mean they were not hitting their mark. Thankfully, Sharada had a plan in mind for the next test. 

“Alright, you can stand upright now. I’d like to measure your pulse now that you’ve done some light aerobic movements.” While the doctor turned away to reach for the stethoscope, Sharada hoped that Harvey had some sense of humor.

Harvey got really close to Sharada, standing a couple of inches in front of him, as he placed the cold metal against the farmer’s back. When he felt the metal on his back, Sharada overreacted and flinched into a hug, as he embraced Harvey while only wearing his underwear. 

“Ah, right. I always forget to warm these things up.” Harvey commented, completely ignoring the fact that Sharada was wrapped around him. “You know you can let go of me know, I’ll warm it up so it’s not so cold for you.” 

When they got back to the check up, Sharada wasn’t able to keep his heart from beating out of control. He hadn’t expected to react this way after hugging Harvey, but the doctor seemed genuinely uninterested or at least, unphased by his comments. 

“Now, you do seem to have an increased pulse, are you okay? I know physical examinations can be a bit scary, but you can relax. I’m here for you, and I’ll make sure you’re healthy as a horse!” 

“I’m just a bit nervous, that’s all. I’ve never been this close to someone as handsome as yourself.” Harvey’s normally dexterous hands dropped the end of the stethoscope, which Sharada considered a small consolation prize despite all the not-subtle comments he’s been making. 

“Ah, I see, that can make someone nervous! I’ve got good news for you Sharada. You’re finished with the physical, and you’re in great condition. Just do me a favor and don’t overwork yourself on the farm okay? I’d rather see you because you choose to visit me, not because you injured yourself.” 

After Sharada got dressed, he shook Harvey’s hand and thanked him again for the physical exam. Grabbing the paperwork off the counter, he promised to be back to hand the papers off before the week was over. As he made his exit from the clinic, Sharada wondered how Shane was doing. He hoped the man was sleeping soundly, and was safe in his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't dead, I'm just easily distracted.


	12. Soup

After walking back from the clinic, Sharada was thoroughly exhausted from the events of the day. In the pale moonlight, the farmer noticed that his mailbox had the flag raised, which meant there was one more thing he needed to do before he could sleep. He opened the mailbox, grabbed the few letters inside and threw the items in his messenger bag. It was late, and he was going to have to hustle to prepare the farm for fall and the fact he was going to bed hours later than normal meant he would be extra tired tomorrow morning. 

He gently tossed the messenger bag onto the table, shrugged off his clothes, and flopped into his bed. Sharada was asleep within seconds of his head hitting his pillow. The mail that he tossed into his bag slid out and floated onto the ground, a flyer for the end of summer luau fell on top of his discarded shirt. 

When Sharada woke up the next morning, it was still dark out, but the early morning news said that this week would be just as hot as it had been all summer. He wasn’t sure if fall was truly supposed to start next week, as this heatwave did not seem to be letting up. Grabbing a fresh set of clothing, he made sure that he grabbed the tools he would need before exiting the house. 

\----------

The sun was just starting to rise over the mountains, and Sharada had tended his crops and managed to finish the brick fences around the barn and coop that Robin built. His muscles ached, and the headache that developed from the lack of sleep wasn’t lightening up. Taking stock of the farm and it’s development could wait until tomorrow. Sharada did make a mental note that he still needed to purchase some animals from Marnie, but he told himself he would wait until fall to make sure that he could ask the rancher all the questions he had on raising animals. Growing plants was entirely different than tending to the needs of a living creature. 

Without much in the way of plans, Sharada decided to spend the early morning tending to his tired body. While he bathed regularly, he hadn’t taken a bath to relax or help soothe his headache and body in a long while. As he walked back towards his modest house, he noticed the flag on the mailbox was still upright, and remembered he got mail that he hadn’t read yet. 

His house was still cool inside from the night before, but the farmer knew this wouldn’t last much longer now that the sun was beating on the weathered roof. He grabbed his messenger bag, and began filling it with another set of clean clothes for after the bath, the mail that was scattered around the floor, a towel, and matching washcloth. After packing his bag for the trip, he gathered all of his laundry into the duffel bag and decided that he could wash his clothes while he relaxed. With his two bags in tow, Sharada walked out the north side of his farm, and began the trek to the bathhouse. 

Once he arrived at the bathhouse/train station plateau, Sharada heard the train coming and made a beeline to enter the building. It was one thing to have a headache, it was another entirely to have a train passing less than 100 feet in front of him. Thankfully, once he was inside the loud sounds of the train were greatly muffled. The walls of the bathhouse were thick, as Robin informed him that they had extra insulation to keep the heat in and the cold out during the winter. He fell into a somewhat normal routine whenever he entered the bathhouse, as there were few people who actually used this building. The farmer would put his bag in a locker, strip down, and throw the towel and washcloth over his shoulder before entering the showers to then enter the large bath. Today was no different, except after stripping down, Sharada used the two washing machines located in the building to wash his clothes, including the ones that he just took off. Setting an alarm on his phone to remind him to go change the load from the washers to the dryers, the farmer quickly showered and entered the warm bath water. 

After about 20 minutes, Sharada heard the showers running and wondered who would be here this early in the day. He started running through the potential people he could encounter and limited it really only to Linus and Alex. If it was Linus, Sharada could expect him any moment now, but if it was Alex, the kid would just shower and then leave. Regardless, he wasn’t in the best of moods today, so whoever it was, if they decided to enter the bath, they could ignore each other in peace. 

When his alarm went off, Sharada snapped out of the daze he was in as he felt so relaxed in the perfectly warm waters of the bath. He got out of the water, toweled off slightly, and walked to the laundry area. He didn’t bother wrapping the towel around him, as he didn’t see anyone when he started walking out of the bath area. The drenched farmer grabbed his clothes from the washing machines and threw them into the dryers. After setting the dials to be an appropriate time, he shivered and briskly walked back to the bath, noticing that his feet were extremely slippery on the tiled floor.

Upon his return, Sharada noticed that another person had joined the large bath in his absence, which he thought was strange as he didn’t pass anybody on his way out. Deciding to apologize for the sudden loud noise from his phone, he waded over to them in the water. As he approached the other man, Sharada was a bit surprised to find Clint sitting on one of the ledges in the back corner of the baths. 

“Hey Clint. Sorry about the alarm. I’m trying to do as much as I can while I’m up this way, so I set the alarm to remind me to put my clothes in the dryer.” He didn’t want to spook the man, as it looked like he was alone in his own little corner, but Sharada felt the need to apologize for disrupting the tranquil environment. 

“Ah Sharada!” Clint clearly was oblivious to his surroundings, and it was apparent that the daydream was quite an enjoyable one, as he proceeded to freak out and grab the grey washcloth that was on his forehead and covered his lap with it. 

“You don’t got anything to hide Clint, we’re both men here, it’s quite normal.” He noticed that Clint was a well built fellow, as working with metal and general blacksmithing meant he had a lot of muscle under all the unnecessary layers. 

“I know that, I wasn’t born yesterday. I thought you left already, so I figured I was alone.” The blacksmiths face was a bright red, clearly from the embarrassment of the situation. The grey washcloth covered just enough so Sharada could see that the other man was clearly used to dealing with long and hard rods. 

“Sorry for interrupting you and your alone time. I’m gonna be here for about 45 minutes more, but please don’t let that stop you from enjoying your alone time. I’ll head back to the other end and leave you to it.” Sharada waded back over to the other side of the bath, giving Clint all the privacy he needed to spend his alone time with. Surprisingly, now that Sharada was more aware of the situation, he could hear Clint grumbling before returning to what he had been doing before. 

\----------

The week had passed too quickly for Sharada’s liking, as he wanted to get more preparations done before the weekend arrived. Fall was just a day away, and Sharada had gotten all that he could from his summer crops. Thankfully, the corn would survive another season, along with the wheat that filled a field on its own. 

On the morning of the Luau, which marked the last day of summer, Sharada decided that he would spend his last early morning picking whatever crops would be good to eat and then clearing them from the fields. He hoped he would have enough time before the luau would begin to also visit Pierre and stock up on seeds for the next season.

The sun was already over the mountains when Sharada realized he spend the entire morning clearing out the crops that would wither in the cool autumn air. He grabbed the duffel bag which was full of his harvests and sprinted down the dusty dirt road that led into town. With any luck, Pierre’s would still be open for him. Yoba must’ve been looking down at him today, as when he made it into town, Pierre’s door was still wide open. 

“I was waiting for you to show up. How was your summer? I bet you grew a lot of delicious crops!” Pierre laughed from behind the counter, watching Sharada dash around his shop like a madman. 

“It was…” Down another aisle, “...didn’t have much time for…” Sharada disappeared again, thus muffling his voice. Eventually, he arrived with a giant armful of supplies, mostly packets of seeds. 

“I’m glad to see you have been having a productive summer as well. It was extremely hot and I can see how you wouldn’t have as much time as you were running around doing odd jobs for everyone.” Despite the massive amounts of seed packets, Pierre deftly typed in the price of each one into the older cash register. “Your total is 25,000G.”

“That’s it? I thought I was missing something from that. Did you get the two tree saplings I wanted?” Sharada asked, looking around on the counter for the tree sapling cards he pulled. When he didn’t find them on the counter, he stepped back and realized they slid off the counter as he was placing everything down. “Here they are!” 

Pierre changed the total to account for the two trees, which tripled the original cost, and Sharada eagerly paid the man from his stuffed duffel bag. Thankfully he always put the money in one of the pockets in the duffel bag, as if he threw it in with everything else, it would easily be lost in the large compartment. 

“You can come by and pick up the tree saplings tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day of fun at the beach, and I don’t want them to dry out before they can be replanted.” Pierre commented, handing Sharada the receipt and the tree sapling cards back with ‘Paid’ written on them. Seeing as this was more than likely his last customer for the day, he walked out with Sharada and closed up the shop. 

There were a few residents of Pelican Town still making their way to the beach, as it looks like Shane, Clint, and Pam were still walking along the cobblestone paths. Pierre and Sharada walked together across the main square towards the beach, the loud music gradually getting louder as they emerged from the tree lined pathway. 

\----------

The luau felt like a proper close to summer, the music and salty sea air had most of the residents in a jovial mood, and those who didn’t enjoy the beach kept reminding those who would listen about just how annoying sand was. The governor stopped by to make an appearance and taste the soup, which Sharada wasn’t sure what the big deal was about the soup. 

“Everyone in town puts an ingredient into the communal soup pot, and once it’s all cooked, we eat it together as a town.” Marnie explained from atop a rather ingenious step stool. She continued to stir the giant pot of liquid, making sure that it kept moving to avoid burning any of the ingredients. “So, just let me know when you’re ready to toss in your ingredient and we can start serving the soup!” 

Sharada wasn’t expecting to put in something to contribute to the soup, but he breathed a sigh of relief as he unbeknowingly came prepared, as his duffel bag was full of his produce. Pulling open the main compartment, he dug through the various corn, blueberry containers, and bags of wheat to find a single head of red cabbage. He grabbed the kitchen knife on the small workstation next to the pot, and began cutting the cabbage up into strips. Once he was completed, he tossed it into the pot, and watched as Marnie stirred it around. 

“Last call to contribute to the communal soup. We will be serving soup here in the next 10 minutes!” Mayor Lewis called out to the citizens. 

\----------

The soup was delicious, as the governor said so himself, which pleased Sharada to know that his limited cooking experience didn’t cause the soup to be a disaster. While the governor couldn’t stay for the entire event, Sharada did get a proper introduction and welcome to Pelican Town before the man left. 

Everyone stuck around the beach, as they were planning on watching the moonlight jellyfish come up to perform their annual mating ritual. Sharada figured it would be fine to stick around tonight as he could finally sleep in if the weather did cool off drastically like everyone was saying it would. He mingled with the people for a while before joining the Wizard, Linus, and Marlon underneath the shade of several palm trees planted in a line. 

The four of them talked about their own interests, and often asked each other for assistance with their daily activities. The Wizard often asked Linus to gather any strange plants or materials he came across since the man lived outside and often walked around the forests and surrounding mountainous regions. Marlon ensured to keep the cave from being overrun by monsters, as Linus’ tent was frequently attacked by slimes during the rainy seasons. In turn, Marlon and Linus would gather up the monster materials and provide them to the Wizard to help further his research. Sharada came to realize that the three men relied on each other for company and support in their lives. He stood before the three of them suddenly, his eyes filled with determination. 

“If you three need anything, and I mean anything. I want to be able to support you three, just as you three support each other. I’ll let you Linus take whatever you want from my farm, and help make sure the monsters don’t overrun the cave. Wizard, I’ll stop by anytime I find something interesting in the cave or by tilling the fields of my farm. Marlon, I will reach the bottom of the cave and figure out why the monsters are multiplying at an alarming rate.” 

The three men just stared at Sharada’s sudden declaration of action and slowly looked at each other. Linus was the first one to start laughing, and Marlon and the Wizard soon followed suit. The farmer wasn’t sure if he said anything that could be considered funny, but he was glad that the men were in a good mood. 

“You’re clearly insane, that’s quite a bold promise.” Marlon stated, watching the embarrassment color Sharada’s face a bright red. 

“Insane or not, I could certainly use some help with getting the necessary items from the caves. Plus, Linus would have less to worry about with Sharada here making frequent trips for me. Just be warned, I’m a demanding sorcerer.” 

“I guess, but I don’t have anything to offer you in return Sharada. Why would you want to help someone like me out?” It was apparent that Linus appreciated the offer, but the wildman didn’t have any skills to offer in return. 

“Who said I wanted anything in return?” With a light chuckle, Sharada felt his face cool down when he realized they were laughing with him, “It’s not required for any of you to help me in return. I’ve learned, despite being here less than a year, that a community needs to work together to be successful. If you feel the need to help, then I’m sure you can figure out a way that only you could help. Although, I can certainly imagine what I’d like to do with each of you as a form of compensation.” Sharada smiled and winked, before turning and walking away from the three men. He knew that he was biting off more than he could chew at once, but he genuinely wanted to make the three of them feel like they could rely on him. 

As he walked away, leaving the three stupefied in his wake, he noticed Shane sitting alone on the beach, watching the surf come in as the sun started dipping low in the sky. He figured that since he was already making promises to Linus, Marlon, and the Wizard, that he should see how Shane is doing. The last time they encountered each other it wasn’t an overall happy experience. 

“Mind if I join you?” Sharada asked, fully expecting to be rejected. 

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind that for once.” Sharada was smiling brighter than he ever had before coming to this town, things were looking up for once in his life and Shane welcoming him to sit next to him had the farmer on cloud nine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the summer luau is in the middle of the month. The moonlight jellyfish event is really short and I wanted to combine the two as it would make sense to have a luau and then hang out until night to enjoy the ~~radioactive~~ glowing jellyfish.


	13. Thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, another storm seems likely. this one lasts for another chapter.

With the summer heat waves finally over, Sharada was able to sleep in to a reasonable hour in the mornings. The first week of autumn was rough as the farmer occasionally woke up without an alarm in the early mornings. He would force himself back to sleep to get his body used to sleeping in later than it had been for the past months. While the mornings and evenings were considerably cooler, the days were still on the warmer side, which Sharada was thankful for. He preferred fall and winter over spring and summer. 

During that adjustment period between summer and fall, Sharada spent the week clearing out the crops that would wilt with the cooling temperatures. By the end of that week, the new seeds were planted and fertilized, the tree saplings were planted, and Sharada finished the preparations for animals to inhabit the barn and coop. 

It was the start of a brand new week, and Sharada decided while watching the morning news, that he would stop by Marnie’s and purchase a cow and a chicken. He made quick work of getting dressed for the day, and caught the weather report that mentioned there were thundershowers expected to hit tonight and all day tomorrow. Grabbing an umbrella just in case, he left his house and started walking towards the south end of the farm. 

The wind started to pick up as he stood on Marnie’s porch, remembering the last time he visited the whirlwind of events that transpired. A shiver ran down his spine at the memories that danced in his mind, but Sharada knew that despite everything, he and Shane were a bit closer as a result. Opening the door, he gripped the handle tight to avoid the wind catching it and slamming it open. 

“Sharada! I wondered when you would stop by. I noticed the barn and coop you had built, but didn’t know when you were going to buy some animals to live in there.” Marine was always a ray of sunshine, and she seemed especially bright today. Whenever the brunette spoke about the animals she was raising, she smiled and shared pictures of them like they were her children. 

“Yeah, I had them built a while ago, but I haven’t been able to come over again until today.” Sharada paused, scratching at his left wrist before continuing, “The last time I was here I wanted to buy some, but I forgot after everything happened.” 

There was a single moment where Marnie’s cheery demeanor fell into a sullen stare at the farmer. It only lasted a second before she started going on about the animals she was raising and were ready for sale. Sharada noticed that she refrained from mentioning the events that happened over the summer and focused solely on the animals. 

He stayed for a while as Marnie lectured him on how to properly care for his new cow and chickens. While he planned on buying only one chicken, when he found out that Shane raised the chickens himself and Marnie explained that they are social animals, he bought two. 

“I can walk them over to your barn and coop later this morning before the storm arrives. Are you going to be there when I bring them over?” She was writing down more notes about everything they discussed as she spoke. 

“I don’t think I will be back to the farm until this afternoon. I have other business I need to take care of before the storm arrives as well. I don’t think they are locked, but I can give you my spare keys so you can get in.” He opened up his messenger bag and fished around for the spare set that Robin gave him of all the keys he needed. She insisted that it would be best to give them to a neighbor for safekeeping, but he never got around to it. 

“That’ll be fine dear. I’ll be sure to leave the notes in your house and you can stop by for the keys when the storm is over.” Marnie smiled and accepted the keys the farmer was offering. 

“Thank you! Tell Shane and Jas I said hello. I’ll see you later Marnie!” Sharada stepped outside the warm house and into the cold wind that blew through the Cindersap Forest. He hoped that Marnie would be fine as the storm seemed like it would be here within a few hours with how dark and gray the sky looked. 

He walked in the direction of the Wizard’s tower, as he needed to stop by and discuss the happenings around him with someone who was more knowledgeable. While he slowly worked on the community center, he noticed the colored apple-like beings called Junimos were helping out around town, fixing things that had fallen into disrepair. When he reached the steps of the tower, Sharada felt a couple rain drops and hoped that he would be able to make it home if the storm were to arrive early. 

He knocked on the door and waited patiently for the eccentric man to welcome him inside. With the other residents who ran businesses, he didn’t mind walking in without knocking, but for the Wizard, he felt like anytime he visited that he was interrupting something important. Even when making the deliveries for the items he was asked to acquire, Sharada stood outside waiting for the Wizard to open the door or teleport him inside. 

Today was no different, after waiting for a couple minutes, the farmer found himself standing in the disaster that was the Wizard’s living room. There were dozens of books haphazardly strewn around the room, and many pots of liquid were close to bubbling over. 

“What brings you here on this day? I didn’t ask you to deliver anything this week.” While rushing around from one section to another, Sharada watched as the other man kept working on whatever experiment was before him. 

“Right, I just wanted to ask you for some advice on dealing with the Junimos. They give me lists to complete, but they don’t seem to trust me much. I have barely gotten within 2 feet of them despite working on the community center for months.” 

Despite the hectic nature of the room, the Wizard seemed to radiate a level of calmness that immediately put Sharada in a better mood. He still felt concerned by the forest spirits actions, but he figured that the Wizard would know some piece of trivia to give him. When the other man remained silent, the farmer just settled into the couch and waited by playing on his phone. 

“Alright, I’ve gotten everything settled here. At least, to the point where it won’t explode in the next half hour.” The Wizard said with a dark grin, causing Sharada to wonder why he enjoyed staying in this potentially deadly tower. Perhaps it was the company he was with that enticed him to remain. 

“You could’ve kept going. I didn’t want to interrupt your work.” 

“But you’re interrupting your work by being here my dear farmer. Surely you could be preparing for the oncoming thundershower, but instead you are sitting here on my couch.” Summoning a tray of drinks and snacks, the Wizard set the platter onto the rustic coffee table. “I appreciate the company, but you asked about the Junimos, which I have no knowledge on. Other than the language, I know just as much as you do.”

Sharada thought for a moment, deciding to redirect the phrase to be less about why the creatures are scared of him, but need his help. Grabbing one of the drinks from the table, he took a couple sips before shifting to face the Wizard. 

“Why did they pick me if they are going to disappear whenever I try to help them? I notice they do work at night on the town, which makes sense as they would be caught otherwise. But when it's just me, and they know why I am visiting, they run away like I’m a monster.” 

“To them, you probably are. You tower over me by a solid foot, and while you are without magic, you share the connection to the forest. They might think you’re helping them, but they may be afraid of getting on your bad side. If you give up on them, then the forest and the whole town may suffer as a result. Just don’t let it weigh you down. I have been here long enough to get divorced and I’ve never seen them for more than a moment.”

It made sense, that their actions would be some combination of fear and desperate reverence. Sharada listened to the Wizard ramble on about the Junimos and the forest magic, feeling like he should be taking notes when a bright flash filled the room. 

Thankfully it was not an explosion, rather the thunder and lightning finally making their arrival as the thunderstorm was in full swing. Deciding to wait for a break in the storm, Sharada settled in for a couple hours spending time with the Wizard helping on the various projects he had going. 

\---------

It was late in the afternoon when the rain let up, which Sharada used to excuse himself to leave the Wizard’s tower. He promised to return soon, giving the Wizard a sly wink as he left the same way he entered. Standing at the front door, he turned around and shook his head a bit, realizing that something in his heart ached for the Wizard to notice him. Shane had captured his heart immediately, but the Wizard was alluring in his own way. 

Making his way into town, Sharada was glad that he grabbed an umbrella before he left the house today. The rain picked back up as he was halfway into town, so he booked it to the Saloon for some shelter from the store. Surprisingly, the place was empty as he figured that a lot of residents were staying indoors until the storm passed. 

“I was wondering who was stupid enough to walk here in the weather we’ve been having. I half expected to see a drenched Pam, but you were not one I was expecting to see tonight.” Gus joked as he cleaned a glass cup, watching as the farmer put his umbrella upright into the plastic tub that sat next to the door. 

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t think anyone else is gonna bother making it tonight. I guess I get you all to myself then.” Sharada wondered if Shane would show up, but he put those thoughts aside for the time being. 

“Never a disappointment to see your mug in here. What’s your poison? We got a lot of food, so feel free to eat up as well!” 

Sharada took a brief look at the menu, before settling on what would be considered his ‘usual’ if he visited more often. He easily sat down at one of the bar stools, and watched Gus put the glass and towel away before he ordered his meal. 

“Would it be too much to ask for a rum and coke? I’d love to get your spaghetti as the meal. Does it come with meatballs or sausage? I’m sure your sausage would be delicious in it!” He smiled deviously at the bartender, knowing that his lines were almost as bad as the Joja cola they served with their rum. 

“You’re in luck. I have a thick, meaty sausage just for you. Usually the spaghetti is the first thing to go when the regulars are here.” It was clear that Gus had a sense of humor, and out of all the men that he has interacted with, the barkeep was the most likely to entertain his horrible jokes and innuendos. 

“Sounds absolutely mouth watering!” 

Sharada sat at the bar, sipping his rum and coke, musing on the events of the year so far. While the insane attraction to Shane turned into a genuine sense of care and adoration, despite the other man’s attempts to push the farmer away, he was happy to find this town welcoming of his different personality. The other men he flirted with didn’t seemed put off by his actions, as the reaction he got from Clint would be expected in that situation. Harvey was naive about his attempts at flirting but sweet and cared about his health and wellbeing, and Marlon, Linus, and the Wizard, seemed to mainly ignore his comments since the Luau. Despite thinking of every other man in this town, his thoughts always returned to the grumpy man. He spent the remaining time waiting for Gus to prepare his food, wondering where Shane would like to spend a date. 

“He’s interested in you. The few times that you visit us here, he watches you like a hawk.” Gus spoke, announcing that the food was ready and set the piping hot plate of pasta before the farmer. “Just, don’t fuck it up for him? I’m already trying to reign in how much he drinks. I can only imagine what would happen if his heart was broken.” 

“I don’t want to break his heart, but I doubt he’d even let me get close enough to try.”


	14. Cliffside

Based on the weather reports Sharada was watching every morning, the stormcell overhead was supposed to last at least a week. Some experts on the weather channel indicated that this could be the longest storm that the valley has ever seen. Sharada was busy building impromptu lightning rods, using random pieces of metal, even going so far as to use the metal bed frame in his constructions. 

After visiting Gus the other day, he was starting to carry a spark of hope that he and Shane could find happiness with one another. It was a small spark, but it was growing stronger the longer he stayed in Pelican Town. Seeing as his farm would likely suffer some losses due to the storm, Sharada decided to work on fixing up the Community Center. Grabbing his duffel bag, he pulled out his phone and headphones, listening to the music as he left his house. The walk to the town was slower than normal, as the dirt road turned to mud in the deluge. 

It was slow work fixing the abandoned building, but Sharada had been making headway. He fixed the roof in early spring, as he knew that any rain would ruin the interior if he hadn’t fixed that first. Now that the days ahead were going to be just as rainy, he was glad the roof was repaired. Despite the rooms being mostly cleaned out, there were some major repairs that needed to be done and the whole place could use a deep clean. 

Forest magic could only do so much, and Sharada was stuck until winter to complete some of the lists. He figured he would start cleaning the place from the top down, grabbing a well used feather duster, he started dusting the boiler room, letting the dust fall and he would sweep it up later. The Junimos seemed to be content watching him from the stone and mud structure in the middle of the great room. Sharada continued listening to his music, letting the sounds of rain and thunder mix with the music from his ear buds. 

It was now darker in the Community Center, and Sharada pulled out his phone to check the time. It was half past 8 and he finished three of the rooms: the boiler room, the kitchen, and the pantry. Deciding that it was time to head home for the day, he grabbed his cleaning supplies and shoved them into the duffel bag. He walked through town which was quiet due to the storm, as nobody left their house unless it was absolutely necessary. Sharada wondered what everyone thought of him, being an outsider to a small community like this. He felt welcomed by everyone - well, mostly everyone as he knew how Shane felt about him - but the fact he mainly spent time with the outcasts of the town probably sparked some rumors. 

Taking the longer route home, Sharada headed south towards the river, and planned on stopping by the Wizard’s tower for a late night visit. As he past Leah’s house, the farmer noticed a human shape towards the cliffside. His heartbeat began racing, as he was debating if this was a monster from the caves or perhaps something even more grim. Taking a moment to grab something from his duffel bag, he groaned internally when he pulled out the feather duster. 

Walking closer to the shape, he calmed down when he realized who it was. Shane was surrounded by empty beer cans and full, unopened cans. He put the item back into his bag, and stood over Shane’s head, shielding it from some of the rain. 

“Hey Mr. Farmer, why are you out here …. on a night like tonight shouldn’t you be hanging out …. with more important people like the Wizard? I bet he’d be a better companion for you.” Shane’s speech was slurred, and it was obvious that he was drunk out of his mind. He wasn’t sure how to respond, but Shane kept going so he really just stood there in silence. 

“Why should I continue to be here? Tell me, wouldn’t…. wouldn’t it be easier if I just rolled off the cliff? Why should I stick around?” 

“I can’t say, it’s not my decision to make for you. I’m sure Jas would be devastated if you did go through with it. After all, you’re like a father to her. And…” Sharada paused, hoping that Shane was too drunk and it was too dark to really see his face as he felt tears forming, “I’m here for you, and I …” _love you_... His voice hitched before he could finish the sentence, tears falling freely. 

A single warm raindrop his Shane’s face, which he found interesting as he touched the space where it it and wondered if this storm knew it was raining warm water. 

“Ugh…. Why did you have to say that to me? God, I’m a horrible person … to do that to Jas.” Shane muttered to himself, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought of Jas after he went through with it, “Thanks… I appreciate it, I would’ve done something stupid if you weren’t here.” 

Shane pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and vomited at Sharada’s feet, missing the farmer’s shoes by mere inches. Collapsing back onto his stomach, Shane just groaned again. 

“I think I need you to take me to go to see Harvey now.” He said before passing out. 

\---------

Sitting on the hard plastic chair next to the gurney where Shane was currently sleeping, Sharada waited for Harvey to finish locking up the front door. 

“So, Shane’s one lucky man.” The doctor said as he entered the room, holding a clipboard that he was looking over. “If he had stayed out there in the storm, he could’ve died of exposure or worse.” 

The farmer knew what Harvey was implying given what the two of them discussed while Shane was sleeping. For the first time in his life, Sharada felt absolutely useless after Shane expressed his desire to just roll off the cliff, as he wasn’t sure what he could even do to help when it was clear the other man was hurting. 

“What can we do to help him?” His voice was quiet, mainly because he was afraid of the answers he could receive.

“I can’t really do much for him here. However, I will give him the information of a therapist in the city and set up an appointment for him to see them. He’s going to be severely dehydrated in the morning, and he may not remember what happened tonight.” Harvey continued reading off the clipboard, and then looked directly at Sharada.

“Yeah, I know. Just, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help him.” Sharada stood up, following Harvey out of the room so the two of them could have a private conversation. 

Once the two of them were in Harvey’s office, Sharada broke down into a sobbing mess and Harvey just embraced the man in a comforting hug. Harvey just stayed there, comforting the farmer until the sobs subsided. 

“Feels better to get it out huh?” Harvey joked lightly, and pulled away from Sharada. 

“Thank you Harvey, I’m a mess.”

“Anyone would be if they were in your shoes. You handled yourself well and you helped save that man’s life. Don’t think that you have to be strong all the time, it’s healthy to let it out every now and then.” 

“Ever the doctor, giving me tips on how to be healthy. I appreciate it, and I’ve gotta say, you give amazing hugs.” Sharada chuckled, wiping the tear streaks from his face, and rubbing his hands against the sopping wet clothing that clung to his skin. Carrying Shane in the storm left the both of them soaking wet, but Shane was stripped to his underwear and placed into a bed with thick blankets. The farmer was going to be heading back out into the rain, so changing clothes wouldn’t be much good. 

“It’s part of the job. If you need someone to talk to, I could always set you up with a therapist as well.”

Sharada shook his head, “Thanks for the offer, my issues are mostly over since I’ve left the city. I better head out and get home so I can change out of these clothes.” He looked at Harvey for a moment, “Unless you think we should share a bed to help heat each other up.”

“In dire situations that would be helpful, but I don’t see where that’d come into play here. The heater’s on and it’s warm in here already.” Harvey blushed a deep red, which Sharada took as his joke was well received. 

“If you say so Dr. Harvey. I’ll be seeing you around, and thank you for helping out so late tonight.” Sharada walked out of the office, turning back to wave at Harvey before he walked towards the waiting room and out of the modest doctor’s office. 

During the walk home, Sharada felt emotionally drained and like he could cry at the drop of a hat. Unbeknownst to him, the Wizard watched over him as he gazed into his cauldron, knowing that his chance at finding love was sealed with tonight’s events. He wished he had done more, been more obvious with his interest towards the farmer, but it was fate that Shane and Sharada would wind up together. He resigned himself to being a close friend of the farmer. 

However, while Sharada was walking home, the Junimos followed him in the shadows, determined to repay the farmer for the work he had done on the community center. With their slowly growing magic, they were able to work together to fix the greenhouse and the mine cart system that ran throughout the valley. They spent the night working, and the farmer slept through it all. 

When he woke up the next morning, his chest felt heavy and his entire body was sore. His head kept repeating the events of last night, and when combined with the nightmare he had where Shane did go through with his idea, he planned on spending the entire day in bed. Turning over, he heard the rain pelting the roof and windows as the wind had picked up overnight. 

After listening to the weather report for an hour, Sharada knew that he would be getting out of bed soon. He figured he could relax today and spend it in the bath house, soaking in the communal bath. Before he could get out of bed, a couple of sharp knocks alerted him to someone at his door. 

Quickly rushing out of bed, Sharada opened the door and welcomed whoever was waiting outside into his small house. It wouldn’t be polite to have them stand on his porch in the weather they’ve been having. 

“Do you normally welcome people into your home while wearing your underwear?” Shane’s dry comment snapped the farmer out of his stupor when he realized who entered his house. 

Ignoring the question, Sharada pulled the purple haired man into a tight hug, hoping that this wasn’t a dream. Surprisingly, Shane returned the hug, and Sharada felt like for once, this thing that he held for Shane was being returned by the other man. 

"Oh man... Uh... How do I say this while we’re hugging and you’re basically naked? I'm really sorry about what happened at the cliffs. That was... embarrassing… but this is a close second..."

“Shut up. I’m just happy you’re still here. If you need anything, I want to help you.” He took a shaky breath, “I fucking love you Shane.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Work is being annoying and I haven't felt like writing despite the urge to want to write something.

**Author's Note:**

> Because I can't finish one thing that I write, here's a slow burn for how my farmer left the city, met Shane, and fell in love.


End file.
